The Queensland Government has introduced new laws, effective from 2006, which require young people to be learning or earning. All young people will be required to complete Year 10 at school and go on to undertake a further two year education and/or training, or until they achieve a Queensland Certificate of Education or Certificate III vocational qualification or turn 17, whichever comes first. Young people will be exempt from these requirements if they gain full-time employment. The aim is to encourage as many young people as possible to complete 12 years of schooling or equivalent.
Transition into the Senior Phase of Learning begins in Year 10 and can end with the awarding of a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE), Certificate III vocational qualification or two years of full-time learning after Year 10.
The Senior Phase of Learning is designed to meet the different needs of young people. It’s being broadened to allow young people to include courses from TAFE, universities, other registered training organisations (RTOs) and some approved community providers.
Building year 10 as a transition year
Year 10 is an important juncture in a young person’s life as they embark on their Senior Phase of Learning and experience a range of new learning, work and life experiences. The Queensland Government reforms are providing a renewed focus on this critical time to help young people make the best possible choices to improve their life chances.
All young people, with the support of their schools, families and communities should experience a seamless transition between the Middle (Years 4 to 9) and Senior Phases of Learning.
Year 10 is a critical transition point for all young people and the new education and training reforms recommends that schools enable this transition through:
- relevant and engaging curriculum
- facilitating Senior Education and Training (SET) Plans
- a Whole of School Response to Career Education
- a Focus on Young People and their Networks.
Historic legislation
The Government's vision for the future is enshrined in two complementary pieces of legislation, the Youth Participation in Education and Training Act 2003 and the Training Reform Act 2003, passed by Parliament on 9 October 2003. These historic Acts recognise the vital role young people will play in the future prosperity of Queensland and provide the framework within which all young people will have the capacity to learn and earn in the Smart State.
Youth participation in education and training act 2003
From 2006, the Youth Participation in Education and Training Act 2003 made it compulsory for young people to remain at school until they finish Year 10 or turn 16, whichever comes first.
Young people who have finished Year 10 or turned 16 will then be required to either participate in earning:
- through employment for a minimum of 25 hours per week or learning
- by staying in education for a further 2 years
- until they have gained a Queensland Certificate of Education
- until they have gained a Certificate III vocational qualification or higher
- until they have turned 17, whichever comes first.
The final part of the Act is that students will have a learning account opened for them within one year before starting the person’s compulsory participation phase – ie in Year 10 or before turning 16. This will change to the age cut-off (16 years) in the future. This learning account coupled with the Student Education and Training (SET) Plan will document the learning the child has decided to take through the Senior Phase of Learning.
Senior education and training (SET) plans
After completing Year 10 your child will be able to choose from a broader range of learning options leading to a Queensland Certificate of Education or a Certificate III vocational qualification. In order to make the most of this opportunity, they will need a plan. The Senior Education and Training (SET) Plan is a key part of the Queensland Government’s Education and Training Reforms for the Future initiative. It is an important step for young people. It is a time when they make choices about their future education and/or training. All students in Year 10 along with their parents or guardians will have the opportunity to develop a Student Education and Training (SET) Plan. The Plans map out a student's plan of action for their education and training in the Senior Phase of Learning.
Education and training providers will:
- provide opportunities and/or negotiate with other agencies to provide opportunities
- monitor attendance, participation, and achievement
- update senior education and training plans
- build partnerships between learning providers, community organisations, employers and youth service providers throughout the community.
The SET Plan should be designed to map your child’s individual learning pathways through the Senior Phase of Learning. Schools and other learning providers will work with you and your child to develop and then implement the SET Plan. The involvement of parents/carers in helping young people make important decisions about their future education, training and employment is vital to the success of the plan. SET planning is a formal process for young people to develop a personal plan of action that will help them succeed in their senior phase of learning, with help from their learning provider and parents.
The SET Plan process is to assist your child to make good choices. Your child can use their SET Plan to build on unique strengths and to work towards the Queensland Certificate of Education, a Certificate III level vocational qualification and/or a viable work option.
Because of the vital role SET Plans play in helping young people determine what they’ll do in the senior phase, it is important that each student develops his or her plan in Year 10. If they get a full-time job, they can still come back to school or another learning provider.
Information in a young person’s SET Plan will be accessible to the student, his or her parents or guardians, and the education or training provider. Other agencies may also have access to this information but this will be decided locally by those involved in developing the planning process.
The plan will be used to monitor and update the students’ progress in the senior phase. Personal information contained in the plan will be dealt with in accordance with the Queensland Government's privacy regime or the federal privacy legislation, whichever is applicable.
Parents or guardians will be encouraged to help their children develop the plan in Year 10 and then support them during the next two years during the Senior Phase of Learning. The SET Plan is more than a piece of paper. It is the end product of a good career education process, and involves four stages:
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Stage 1 Thinking about the Future
- Stage 2 Exploring Options
- Stage 3 Documenting the Plan
- Stage 4 Implementing the Plan
Your child will need your support to work through these stages.
Registration
During Year 10 or before young people turn 16, schools will be required to register, with the QSA, all students and their intended learning options for the Senior Phase of Learning. Once registered, a learning account will be created that will allow students to record their achievements during the senior phase of learning.
The registration process will also allow the QSA to get statistical information about the different things students intend to do in the senior phase and this can be used by the department and other learning providers to plan for the future.
Queensland certificate of education
The QCE is a broad-based qualification that requires young people to achieve a significant amount of learning to a set standard and meet requirements for literacy and numeracy. The QCE recognises achievement in a range of learning and gives more flexibility to what students learn and when and where they learn.
The QCE aims to meet everyone’s needs including those who would normally leave after Year 10. It is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach to learning but about tailoring a package of learning for the student – ie what, when, how etc. a student learns. Plus the QCE is unique in that it attests to a significant amount of learning, at set standards with literacy and numeracy requirement. The QCE will be awarded to young people if they meet the specific requirements.
The QCE works on a credit system. Of the 20 credits students must achieve, at least 12 must come from the core courses of study. The remaining eight credits can come from a combination of core and other courses such as vocational education, work experience, university subjects or recognised certificates in such areas as music, sport or drama. There is also a set standard of literacy and numeracy that must be met before the QCE may be awarded.
The QCE is clearly about successful learning. It is a qualification towards which young people can aspire and strive. Therefore, as well as achieving an amount of learning, there is also a requirement that the learning is at a set standard. The set standard is described differently in different courses of study. In VET it is ‘competence’, and in other courses it is at least a ‘pass’ or at least a 4 on a 7-point scale. Authority and Authority-registered subjects are assessed against five levels of achievement from A to E. For these courses, consultation was clear that the set standard must be a C. The set standard also requires young people to demonstrate achievement in literacy and numeracy. There is a clear expectation that at the end of 12 years of schooling, young people should be literate and numerate.
Students who don't achieve sufficient credit points to be awarded the QCE at the end of Year 12 will still be able to complete their certificate at a later date. All students, regardless of whether or not they have achieved a QCE, will receive a Senior Statement at the end of Year 12.
It will be a valuable passport for young people moving from school to further education, training and work. To find out more about the QCE visit the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) page on the new QCE system.