VET Workforce Funds test

Stream One (Sharing VET teachers and trainers) is available to support cross-school partnerships, where the lead applicant is a government school. Partnerships that include non-government schools will be reviewed to ensure that payments are made to the government schools only. Non-government school students may also be beneficiaries of any programs that are implemented where collaboration is across-sector.

Both new and existing partnerships are eligible. For existing partnerships, submissions need to demonstrate how funding would enhance existing arrangements.

Stream Two (VET innovation fund) is available to any government school seeking support for innovation in the design and delivery of VET programs.

Applications from schools to both program streams will be assessed using a merit-based process.

What funding is available?

Option One: Single year funding of up to $75,000 per network

Option Two: Multi-year funding of up to $150,000 per network funded through 2021 and 2022.

Why is this needed?

Enhanced collaboration between schools to share VET staff can create efficiencies, economies of scale and stronger communities of practice, reducing VET teacher supply issues and enabling schools to be more responsive to student demand for specific VET qualifications.

What can the funding be used for?

Funding can be used to cover costs such as:

• time release for designing new shared delivery arrangements, facilitating RTO partnerships, or administration requirements
• professional development for teachers and trainers to align school offering to student demand for specific VET qualifications
• transport for students travelling between institutions or across clusters
• building, expanding and enhancing VET partnerships, networks or clusters
• start-up of new VET programs or enhancing the scope of VET offerings in VCAL.

What funding is available?

Option One: Single year funding of up to $150,000

Option Two: Multi-year funding of up to $300,000 funded through 2021 and 2022.

Why is this needed?

Supporting schools and teachers to focus on innovation in the design and delivery of their VET programs (with partner RTOs), will ensure students can access high quality vocational offerings, which are consistent with VCAA requirements for VCE and VCAL programs.

This initiative also supports the development of a strong evidence base to inform future VET program design. Successful schools will be supported to develop effective monitoring and evaluation strategies (with partner RTOs) to measure impacts on staff and students.

What can the funding be used for?

Funding can be used to cover costs including but not limited to:

• employing a VET or applied learning specialist to support innovative VET program design and delivery, in consultation with partner RTOs
• specialised support for mentoring new VET teachers and improving curriculum design and implementation of VET programs, in consultation with partner RTOs

• investigating how new technology, especially ICT or blended learning models, could foster innovation in new teaching and learning practice in VET
• enhancing VET for VCAL and VCE programs within VET clusters or government school RTOs.

Applications for funding are through an Expression of Interest (EOI) process.

Attached are the guidelines and expression of interest forms for each funding stream:

• Guidelines and EOI – Stream One – Sharing VET teachers and trainers (docx - 123.74kb)
• Guidelines and EOI – Stream Two – VET Innovation Fund (docx - 118.36kb)

All sections of the expression of interest form must be completed within the word limit for each criterion. For joint applications, only one application should be submitted but each school in the partnership should contribute to the application.

Completed applications can be submitted to the Department via email to: vet.secondary@education.vic.gov.au

Applications for the first round of funding open 30 November 2020 and close 23 December 2020. If the fund is not fully subscribed we may run a second round in early 2021.

For more information on the other programs available, see VET/VCAL Workforce Reform Program.