If she hadn’t been given an alternative space to complete VCE as a teenager, Lauren Davidson has no idea what her life would look like now.
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When the 19-year-old student heard that VCE courses would not be offered at South West TAFE from next year due to a lack of demand, she said she was deeply concerned about what it would mean for people in the position she had faced.
Ms Davidson, who spoke to The Standard about her experiences last year, is studying a Diploma of Early Childhood in the hope of moving on to study a Bachelor of Early Childhood to qualify as a teacher.
The young woman left high school close to the end of year nine after experiencing bullying and found it difficult to enroll at other schools.
After trying to continue her schooling through a distance education service and finding it was too difficult, Ms Davidson eased her way back into education by studying VCAL at South West TAFE in year 10 and then being encouraged to move on to VCE.
“I had a long term goal to complete my VCE, so that was important to me,” she said.
Ms Davidson said the atmosphere at South West TAFE had been perfect for her.
“We all just sort of came together and because we’d all left school we were connected and we said ‘we left school for a reason, lets not make this a bad experience’,” she said.
“The work is still the same at TAFE, it’s just a more relaxed environment. We still get an ATAR, it’s the exact same curriculum as mainstream schooling, just in a more supportive environment.”
“It was amazing, we had a great group of supportive teachers.
“Every teacher I’ve come across at TAFE has been extremely supportive.
“We’ve got a small group but it works. It’s what make the course good.”
Ms Davidson said hearing the news made her reflect on where she’d be if she hadn’t had an alternative setting.
“I honestly don’t think i’d be where I am, I’d be so lost and wouldn’t know what to do,”she said.
When the announcement about the future of VCE courses were made, South West TAFE representatives said they would reconsider offering the courses if demand rose again.
They said only three students had expressed their desire to study VCE in 2017, making running the courses unsustainable.
The shift means VCE study will only be available through schools and long-distance education.
The Department of Education and Training supported the organisation’s decision.
