Vocational Education
You may have heard of vocational training and immediately think of trade skills training such as carpentry, electrical, and so on. What is vocational training?
Competency-Based Training
Skills development, career education, technical training – these may sound different but all of them fall within vocational education. In New Zealand, as in other countries, practical skills development is called Vocational Education and Training (VET). This is competency-based training where students need to reach a level of competency to be able to meet industry standards.
Most organisations which offer vocational education programmes design their programmes based on a set of competency standards. These standards are reviewed and updated approximately every three to four years by the relevant Standard Setting Bodies (SSBs) to keep up with the changes within each industry.
VSTET is a training provider which, in its name, has captured the VET concept, and included in the ST to not only provide a unique name, but also to identify that it fills a gap between senior Secondary school and entry level Tertiary training – Vocational Secondary and Tertiary Education and Training.
Preparation for the Real World
Programmes within VSTET cover a small range of trade and industry sectors. There are programmes which are specifically designed for entry into hospitality, childcare, construction and allied trades. The main goal of VSTET is to prepare you for the sector in which you wish to work.
Career Opportunities
A good thing about VSTET is that it allows you to explore various career opportunities. For example, if you are currently interested in the service sector, but you are also deeply interested in trying your hand at construction, you can take a VSTET course in construction. This allows you to gain insightful experience in that sector. From there, you can make the choice of going on to further higher level training, applying for a construction job, or switching back to your previous preference.
Government (NZQA) - Quality Assured Certifications
Perhaps the importance of vocational training is its practicality in terms of how useful it is in the real world. You are taught practical skills relevant to industry contexts. With a successful conclusion of your programme, you gain government (NZQA) quality assured certificates which can strengthen your resumé. A stronger resumé means having a better shot at getting the job you want.
Provided by Accredited Organisations
The vocational training system in New Zealand is born out of the collaboration between government and organisations which are accredited providers of education and training. These providers are tested, inspected, and evaluated to be capable of teaching practical skills for specific approved programmes. When you train under an accredited organisation such as VSTET you can expect to receive appropriate training from tutors who have years of relevant industry experience.
Enabling Choice
VSTET programmes are all about having the skills, knowledge, and credentials to support making choices. If you are torn between going back to school or exploring vocational skills for future employment then enrolling in VSTET programmes can resolve that conflict.
Enrol with VSTET today.