Data reveals rising number of students quitting school before Year 12
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Almost a quarter of Victorian senior high school students aren’t completing Year 12, according to new data.
School leaders and education experts believe workforce shortages, COVID-19, and the cost of living crisis are contributing factors among students.

It’s hoped a new, reformed VCE program that places a greater emphasis on vocational learning might change that.

Almost a quarter of Victorian senior high school students aren’t completing Year 12, according to new data. (Nine)

Strathmore Secondary College student Zander Lekkas had always believed he would leave school before completing his final year of study.

But halfway through Year 11, Zander said he is thriving thanks to the new VCE program.

The program, which kicked off this year, was a huge shake-up to senior secondary education and replaced the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).

The alternative is available for students who prefer to learn with their hands rather than from a textbook.

Strathmore Secondary College student Zander Lekkas said he is thriving thanks to the new VCE program. (Nine)

“Ever since Year 8 I have always had the thought in the back of my mind that I wouldn’t stick it out,” the Zander told 9News.

“Instead of having my head down into a Macbeth book, I’m like learning how to be more confident to talk to people.”

Strathmore Secondary College teacher Kate Hutchison said the program was working well at the college, where retention is high.

“The carry-on from COVID, we are still seeing students who haven’t engaged in school for a couple of years,” Hutchison said.

“This is a program where they can see why they are studying.”

But that’s not the case in every Victorian classroom.

New figures from the Productivity Commission show almost 24 per cent of public students in Years 10, 11 and 12 left school early last year, up from 21.8 per cent in 2021.

In comparison, the stat is 10 per cent at private schools.

Real Schools chief executive Adam Voigt said the data was alarming.

“The bit in this data we should be most concerned about is: who are the young people who are not going into further learning? Where are they?” Voigt said.

In Victoria, kids are legally required to attend a school campus or approved alternative until they finish Year 10.

After that, they must take part in education, training or employment for at least 25 hours a week until they turn 17.

“In our education system, we need room for young people for whom Year 12 isn’t the be-all and end-all,” Voigt said.

“But we also know that for young people that don’t finish Year 12, there’s often a cap on their potential earnings in the future.”

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