VCE VM Work Related Skills allows students to understand and apply concepts and terminology related to the workplace and further studies to understand the complex and rapidly changing world of work and workplace environments. It helps students understand and develop their skills, knowledge, capabilities, and attributes as they relate to further education and employment, to develop effective communication skills to enable self- reflection and self-promotion and to practically apply their skills and knowledge.
This subject requires students to think about and investigate potential employment pathways, to develop a career action plan, and to seek appropriate advice and feedback on planned career and further study objectives. Students are required to consider the distinction between essential employability skills, specialist, and technical work skills; to understand transferable skills and identify their personal skills and capabilities and promote them through the development of a cover letter and resume and through mock interviews.
Students also learn about healthy, collaborative, and productive workplaces, workplace relationships and investigate key areas relating to workplace relations, including pay conditions and dispute resolution. Students look at how teamwork and effective communication contribute to a healthy, collegiate workplace. Students also learn about promoting themselves and their skills by developing an extensive professional portfolio to use for further education and employment applications.
VCE Vocational Major Work-Related Skills (WRS) examines a range of skills, knowledge and capabilities relevant to achieving individual career and educational goals. The study considers four key areas: the future of work; workplace skills and capabilities; industrial relations and the workplace environment and practice; and the development of a personal portfolio. Students will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills gained from this study in the classroom environment and through Structured Workplace Learning (SWL).
Unit 1 WRS recognises the importance of sourcing reliable information relating to future education and employment prospects to engage in effective pathway planning and decision- making. Students will investigate information relating to future employment, including entry- level pathways, emerging industries, and growth industries and trends, and evaluate the impact of pursuing employment in different industries. Students will reflect on this research in the context of their individual skills, capabilities, and education and/or employment goals. They will develop and apply strategies to communicate their findings.
In Unit 2, WRS students will consider the changing nature of work and the impact this has on future career pathways. Students will consider the distinction between essential employability skills, specialist and technical work skills and personal capabilities, and understand the importance of training and development to support the attainment and transferability of skills. Students will collect evidence and artefacts relating to their personal skills and capabilities and promote them through resumes, cover letters and interview preparation.
Unit 3 WRS focuses on the core elements of a healthy, collaborative, inclusive and harmonious workplace and is separated into three main areas: wellbeing, culture and the employee-employer relationship, workplace relations, and communication and collaboration.
Students will learn how to maintain positive working relationships with colleagues and employers, understanding the characteristics of a positive workplace culture and its relationship to business success. They will investigate key areas relating to workplace relations, including methods for determining pay and conditions, workplace bullying, workplace discrimination, workplace harassment and dispute resolution. Students will discover how teamwork and communication skills contribute to healthy, collegial and productive workplaces.
In Unit 4 WRS, students will explore the purpose of a portfolio and consider the intended audiences and uses of portfolios in different contexts. They will discuss and compare the features and uses of physical and digital portfolios and examine the characteristics of a high- quality portfolio. Students will understand how to prepare a portfolio proposal and how to plan the development of a portfolio. Students will develop and apply their knowledge and skills relating to portfolios, including the features and characteristics of a high-quality physical and/or digital portfolio. The unit culminates in the formal presentation of a completed portfolio in a panel-style interview and an evaluation of the end product.
