The Structure of VCAL
The VCAL is accredited at three levels: Foundation, Intermediate, and Senior. These three levels provide for different entry points for students with different skill, attitude and knowledge levels as well as providing for progression through courses as these skills, knowledge and attitudes are developed.
The VCAL has four curriculum areas called strands. A VCAL program must included elements from all strands.
These strands are:
- Literacy and Numeracy skills;
These can include VCE Maths or English or other accredited studies such as literacy and numeracy modules from the Certificate of General Education for Adults (CGEA).
- Industry specific skills;
The VCAL program must include industry specific subjects from Vocational Education and Training or VCE VET. The students are not required to complete a single VET certificate but can undertake various modules and units from a range of VET certificates. Training packages are available from industries including automotive, engineering, building and construction, hospitality and retail, agriculture, horticulture, warehousing and hair and beauty. At Foundation level VCE units such as food and technology can be included.
- Work related skills;
Students can undertake either a structured work placement, part time apprenticeship or traineeship or part time work to develop employability skills. Units and modules for this strand could include occupational health and safety and job interview skills.
- Personal development skills
Students must participate in community-based projects, voluntary work or structured activities that help in the development of self-confidence and teamwork skills.
 Each VCAL qualification is nominally of 1000 hours duration, although attendance and hours are not requirements of the VCAL qualification. The emphasis is on satisfactory completion of learning outcomes and the development of skills, knowledge and attitudes.
The flexibility of VCAL allows students to design a study program that suits their interests and learning needs. The 1000 hours may include activities such as structured workplace learning, School based new apprenticeships, part time work, classroom learning, community work, and TAFE.
To gain a certificate a student has to accumulate 10 credits. One credit is gained for a successful completion of one unit of study. Each unit must be justified against the purpose statement for one of the four VCAL curriculum strands.
A unit of study can be:- 1 VCAL unit;
- 1VCE unit;
- 1 VET/VEC unit
- approximately 100 hours for VET modules/units of competence and /or Further education (FE) modules
A student's VCAL learning program must include: - A minimum of two VCAL units
- At least one literacy unit;
- At least one numeracy unit;
- At least one unit from the Industry specific Skills strand. At Intermediate and Senior levels this must include a unit of study from a VET qualification;
- At least one unit from the work related skills strand;
- At least one unit from the personal development strand; and
- At least five credits at the level of VCAL they are enrolled in of which one must be literacy and one VCAL Personal Development Skills unit (VCAL Information sheet).
Integrating the program
VCAL provides an opportunity for students to learn in a context that is not distinguished by traditional curriculum divisions. While a student must undertake curriculum and learning outcomes from each of the four strands, the use of applied learning tasks and activities will involve learning across these four strands. This more accurately reflects how the skills learnt will be applied in the students' own lives, their work place and in the community. An example of an integrated applied learning task might include a construction project in the community that is developed through the Work Related Skills Strand and meets the some of the outcomes of Numeracy and Personal Development Skills Strands.
Having provided an overview of the operation of VCAL in this section, the next section provides an example of a community VCAL program operating in regional Victoria. This case study is one example of a Community based VCAL. There are many others throughout Victoria that have been designed and implemented using the VCAL framework to respond to local issues and needs.
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