Information about VPC:

The VPC is an accredited foundation secondary qualification under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) and is aligned to Level 1 in the AQF (Australian Qualifications Framework).

At Level 1 in the AQF, graduates will:

• have knowledge and skills for initial work, community involvement and/or further learning
• have foundational knowledge for everyday life, further learning and preparation for initial work
• have foundational cognitive, technical and communication skills to undertake defined routine activities and, identify and report simple issues and problems
• apply knowledge and skills to demonstrate autonomy in highly structured and stable contexts and within narrow parameters

As the VPC is not a senior secondary qualification, it is designed to provide graduates with the foundation for broadening their pathways for post-school.

At BSS, a VPC learning program may include:

• VPC units
• VET units of competency

The VPC has four studies. These are:

• Literacy
• Numeracy
• PDS (Personal Development Skills)
• WRS (Work Related Skills)

All VPC units can be completed in any order and any year. The units can be delivered flexibly and do not have to be delivered sequentially. At BSS, the VPC program commences in Year 10 and runs for three years. Students have a minimum of one semester's worth of learning experiences per unit as outlined in the BSS Senior Years Curriculum Map.

Each VPC unit requires 100 nominal hours, of which at least 50 hours are scheduled classroom instruction. Students are timetabled with a minimum of two hours per VPC study per week and five hours of flexible learning time, which teachers can use at their discretion depending on the students’ needs. That is the flexible learning time can be used for one study or integrate multiple VPC studies to support the learning program.