Reshaping School to Work in 2027

Students who cannot arrange work-based learning independently need more help. Stakeholders overwhelmingly agree this should be the focus of School to Work’s focus. We will use a tiered model to direct more support to students who need it.

The program structure has undervalued group career exploration activities in years 7 to 9. These activities are sometimes more efficient and easier for employers than individual placements. We will put more program emphasis on arranging group activities.

Unclear or inconsistent roles in facilitating work-based learning have created confusion and inefficiency. We will clarify the role of programs and school in supporting work-based learning. We will also reduce overlaps to support work-based learning holistically and simplify interaction with employers.

External organisations are valuable for building and maintaining networks of employers to support work-based learning. This supports individual employers to engage with a larger number of schools.

Providers will engage with employers to source and support opportunities that provide value for students, schools and employers:

• career exploration experiences for groups of government school students in years 7 to 9 such as workplace tours, career expos, industry tasters or presentations
• work experience and structured workplace learning placements for government school students who have difficulty finding them independently
• employment opportunities for school-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SBATs) for government school students, in connection with the Head Start program
• work-based learning opportunities for non-government school students.

Program providers will focus on employer-facing activities:

• employer attraction – building and maintaining a network of employers to create work-based learning opportunities for school students
• coordination and matching – helping school staff match students with employers as needed and make necessary arrangements for the activity
• employer readiness – helping employers to understand expectations and prepare to deliver a quality activity when students have been matched with them.

We will establish an Equity and Innovation Fund that selected School to Work providers can apply to access, to deliver activities that improve opportunities for students facing additional barriers to work-based learning.

For example, this might support:

• partnerships to deliver specialist opportunities for particular cohorts or industries
• creating resources for employers to help them prepare for students
• alternative work-based learning models
• specialist training for other School to Work providers.

Distance limits the career options that regional students can explore. Transport for work-based learning is also more costly for regional schools.

We will create more career exploration opportunities for regional students with city-based employers. We will also support regional government schools with transportation for work-based learning.

We will prioritise some work-based learning opportunities in Melbourne and regional centres for regional students, so they can explore a broader range of careers in Victoria.

We will also provide funding to regional schools to help cover the cost of travel to work-based learning. We will provide guidance on how to use this funding.

We will finalise the design of transport and accommodation funding for regional schools near the end of 2026.

Program delivery in some areas is not meeting school or employer expectations. We will make sure the best organisation in each area is delivering School to Work by considering competitive applications.

Currently, program funding is spread thinly across many organisations with their own overhead costs. This creates inefficiencies. We will change the program structure to be more efficient.

The School to Work program will be structured in 17 areas aligned to the Department of Education regional model. There will be one funding agreement per area. This will balance improvement to efficiency and consistency with the continued need for place-based support.

Any not-for-profit organisation will be eligible to submit a proposal to deliver School to Work in one or more of the 17 areas from 2027 to 2029.

The program will support employers in one area to provide work-based learning for students in other areas.

We will provide 3-year funding agreements to make sure providers can recruit suitable staff and undertake long-term planning.

We can assist School to Work providers by communicating effectively with employers, providing resources to help employers and students get ready for placements, and providing fit-for-purpose data and processes.

We have published a new website that explains types of work-based learning: Your Future Workforce Today. We will build on this website in consultation with School to Work providers.

We are exploring options for classroom resources that can help get students ready work-based learning. We are also exploring options for digital tools that will facilitate School to Work delivery.

LLENs will continue to deliver the program in 2026. LLENs may apply for funding to deliver School to Work from 2027.

Providers will work with employers and schools in their area. The program structure will also facilitate and recognise a provider that finds opportunities with employers in their area for school students in other areas.

Yes. Partnership applications are allowed for this program. A partnership application is when 2 or more organisations work together to apply, coordinate, access and share resources as a larger group.

No. Partnerships for shared delivery of School to Work between multiple organisations can only include not-for-profit organisations.

Yes. An organisation can be the lead organisation or a partner organisation in more than one proposal for an area or multiple areas.

School to Work providers will attract employers to provide work-based learning activities. This will include finding school-based apprenticeship or traineeship (SBAT) employment opportunities for government school students in their area.

Head Start staff will help students to prepare for, participate in and succeed in their SBAT, providing different levels of support as needed by the student. More information about Head Start will be available later in 2026.

Providers in the 17 areas will deliver the same services under one performance framework, and be supported to work together across areas. The exact model of delivery may change depending on each area’s specific needs.

No. Funding to support VET clusters and transport in 2027 onward was included in the State Budget 2026/27. Arrangements for cluster and transport support will be finalised later in 2026, separate to School to Work program arrangements.

Organisations may choose to include evidence of their previous delivery of employer engagement activities to support their funding proposal. We will consider this evidence as part of the proposal.

Each of the 17 DE area is a grouping of local government areas, as follows:

• Inner Eastern Melbourne area: Boroondara, Manningham, Monash, Whitehorse
• Outer Eastern Melbourne area: Knox, Maroondah, Yarra Ranges
• Goulburn area: Greater Shepparton, Mitchell, Moira, Murrindindi, Strathbogie
• Ovens Murray area: Alpine, Benalla, Indigo, Mansfield, Towong, Wangaratta, Wodonga
• North Eastern Melbourne area: Banyule, Darebin, Nillumbik, Whittlesea, Yarra
• Hume Merri-bek area: Hume, Merri-bek
• Loddon Campaspe area: Campaspe, Central Goldfields, Greater Bendigo, Loddon, Macedon Ranges, Mount Alexander
• Mallee area: Buloke, Gannawarra, Mildura, Swan Hill
• Southern Melbourne area: Cardinia, Casey, Greater Dandenong
• Bayside Peninsula area: Bayside, Frankston, Glen Eira, Kingston, Mornington Peninsula, Port Phillip, Stonnington
• Inner Gippsland area: Bass Coast, Baw Baw, Latrobe, South Gippsland
• Outer Gippsland area: East Gippsland, Wellington
• Western Melbourne area: Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melbourne, Moonee Valley, Wyndham
• Brimbank Melton area: Brimbank, Melton
• Central Highlands area: Ararat, Ballarat, Golden Plains, Hepburn, Moorabool, Pyrenees
• Barwon area: Colac Otway, Greater Geelong, Queenscliffe, Surf Coast
• Wimmera South West area: Corangamite, Glenelg, Hindmarsh, Horsham, Moyne, Northern Grampians, Southern Grampians, Warrnambool, West Wimmera, Yarriambiack