Does scored VET in Schools help or hinder access to higher education in Victoria?

The introduction of vocational education and training (VET) subjects in the secondary school curriculum in the 1990s was aimed at assisting to retain less academically inclined students at school and providing students with a broad range of post-secondary options and pathways. In the 2000s, 'scored' VET subjects — those that counted towards both nationally recognised training and a university entrance score — were introduced as a means of improving the status of VET within the secondary school curriculum as well as offering viable options to those students not entirely certain of which pathway to take — university or vocational training. Focusing on Victorian secondary school students, this report looks at whether taking scored VET subjects affects entry to university. The major finding of this report is that for those students who intend to go to university and who complete a 'scored' VET subject there is a sizeable penalty.