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VET In Schools Success For Local Student

VET focuses kids on a career and makes them aware of the skills involved in the area that they are interested

By Eimear McNelis - 16th April 2002 - Back to News

South Gippsland VET student, Alison Bongers now has a fulltime job and is planning a career in Hospitality after completing a Certificate II in Hospitality Operations at GippsTAFE last year.

The two-year course included technical classes, theory classes, on-line classes, excursions and fields trips to Melbourne.

Ms Bongers attended South Coast Christian College and now works at Henrietta’s House café in Leongatha.

"It broadened my horizons, I actually never thought of hospitality as a career for me." said Ms Bongers.

"The on-line work was good, it was helpful because I could print things out and look over it again."

Ms Bongers along with the other students in the class gained extra experience throughout their course by working in McCartin’s Hotel Restaurant in Leongatha every Tuesday at lunchtime for 10 weeks.

"Working at the restaurant opened up my eyes, I saw the amount of work that people actually do in a restaurant." Said Ms Bongers.

Students worked in kitchen, waitressing and serving drinks at the bar.

"VET in Schools focuses kids on a career and makes them aware of the skills involved in the area that they are interested in, and they get the benefit of getting their VCE and a qualification." said Leonnie McClusky, Chairperson of the VET Cluster in South Gippsland.

"Kids enjoy it and it gives them real skills."

VET in Schools programs are available in a number of areas of study and the results contribute to the student’s ENTER score for University and TAFE courses, and can help students in transition from school to work.

"VET in Schools definitely helped me to get a job and this year I am going on to do a Certificate III in Hospitality." Said Ms Bongers.

"Go for it, it opens your eyes up!"

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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