MANY TRICKS OF THE TRADES
TRADE schools are dispelling the notion their graduates have limited career options and say university is still a viable option for students if they wish.
While trade schools are predominantly charged with getting their students into a traineeship or apprenticeship, in some cases these can contribute to a student’s ATAR or OP for entry into university.
Technical college business development manager Patrick Kelly says combining vocational education with university satisfies employer demands that workers possess both theoretical and practical skills. Kelly says most professions can be linked to vocational training and the technical qualifications gained at trade schools can be an important starting point for those wanting to progress to university.
Australian Industry Trade College chief executive Mark Hands says university is a popular pathway for many trade school graduates once they have completed their apprenticeship. It is either to move into management or supervisor positions or to qualify in their industry at a higher level – for example, an electrician who wants to become an electrical engineer.
“If someone has completed a trade, there are a number of options available to enter a university course,’’ Hands says. He says while students at AITC do not study subjects that provide them with an OP for university entrance, they can enrol at university as a mature-age student or undertake bridging courses to help meet entry requirements for an undergraduate degree.
Victoria Filsell, 21, did Year 11 and 12 at a trade school and obtained a Certificate II in Engineering, secured a place in a forensic sciences degree at university and was offered an apprenticeship in her trade.
She took a gap year after school and undertook the Special Tertiary Admissions Test to gain entry to a behavioural sciences degree, in which she is now majoring in psychology and disability.