With about 50 days until the end of HSC, graduating students are exploring all of their options – even those outside of university.

Vocational Education and Training in Stage 5 has existed for over 30 years, offering high school students the opportunity to broaden their studies and explore alternative career pathways.

Ahead of her graduation, Ruby Hamilton said that university wasn’t for her and instead, is pursuing a career in community service and social work.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Miss Hamilton said.

“I spoke to my careers advisor and he explained that there are other pathways to take instead.

“You can go to uni later in life.”

Ms Hamilton is a VET student having studied two courses at Picton High School in Hospitality – Cookery and Kitchen Operations and Entertainment – Live Productions and Services.

Her cohort was the first to use NESA’s new VET learning system, Evidence Central but Ms Hamilton wasn’t too pleased with the change.

“All of our theory work is now assessed online,” Miss Hamilton said.

“It’s a become a really unreliable system.”

Previously, VET courses were assessed through NESA approved booklets sent straight from TAFE NSW to students.

Now, all coursework is posted by TAFE NSW to Evidence Central, approved by NESA and then sent to students.

Ms Hamilton said that the only way she learnt her VET coursework was through her teachers at school.

“The problem is NESA,” Ms Hamilton said.

“There wasn’t a lot of communication between evidence central and my school teachers.”

Luckily, VET isn’t the only option for students looking to avoid tertiary education.

For many students, receiving an ATAR is unnecessary stress on top of HSC exams and Major Works – particularly if university isn’t the goal.

TAFE Pathology student Emily Turner juggles two part-time jobs in the hospitality industry and said timeliness is key to stress management.

“There is a social standard around attending university or graduating high school with an ATAR,” Miss Turner said.

“I didn’t want to be restricted by marks.”

Miss Turner graduated high school last year as a non-ATAR student, completing a language course with the School of Languages and a dual Major Works.

Like Evidence Central, the School of Languages also runs online in correspondence with NESA and has similar issues.

“The programme was unreliable and unorganised,” Miss Turner.

“I love TAFE because the whole day is a single workshop, all in one place,

“I have a lot of freedom whilst still having routine.”

TAFE applications open each semester for some courses and quarterly for others, aligned intentionally with high school schedules to maximise the comfort for transitioning students.