4 May 2018

The VCAL Achievement Awards were presented last Friday, recognising outstanding work by students and the teachers who support them. We congratulate all students for their success in VCAL, particularly these recipients from Catholic schools of awards this year:

• Kate Napper, Molly O’Neill and Gabrielle Sims from Sacred Heart College, Geelong, were presented with the Senior Team Achievement Award for creating ‘Little Boxes of Hope’, which has brought comfort and support to young people experience mental illness in the Geelong Region.
• Liam Gray from Loyola College, Watsonia, was presented with the School-based Apprentice/Trainee Award in recognition of balancing the commitments of school, TAFE and a workplace. Liam undertook the Senior VCAL Certificate (Year 12) in 2017 while working as a School Based Apprentice diesel mechanic at Cummins Pty Ltd and studying a Certificate III in Heavy Vehicle Commercial Mechanical Technology at Kangan TAFE.

In addition to student awards, the VCAA Chair’s Award was presented to Sacred Heart College, Geelong. With strong support from leadership and teachers, the College has been offering VCAL since 2004 and has fully integrated their VCAL program to effectively engage students in their learning.

In 2017 there were over 24,000 enrolments in VCAL certificates, with students using their practical work-related experiences and study through to apprenticeships, traineeships, employment and further education and training.