SJC Pathways Delivering Real Results for Echuca Moama Students

October 8, 2026

For students at St Joseph’s College Echuca, vocational education is not a fallback option. It’s a valuable pathway to a career, further study, an apprenticeship, and a strong future in the workforce both locally and beyond.

The College has built one of the most comprehensive Vocational Education and Training (VET) programs available to students at a regional secondary school in Victoria, with 29 VET subjects available to students studying both academic and vocational pathways, and 335 students enrolled.

Thirteen VET subjects are delivered onsite at St Joseph’s, while students can access a further 16 courses through Bendigo TAFE’s Echuca campus. The courses span health, construction, engineering, hospitality, music, sport and recreation, and the arts.

Last year, 162 St Joseph’s students completed a VET certificate, with 84 per cent achieving their full qualification. Three programs – Health Services Assistance, Certificate II in Sport and Recreation and Certificate III in Music – achieved 100 per cent completion rates. Thirty students moved into full-time apprenticeships, while 81 of the 90 students who applied to VTAC received a tertiary offer, including 52 who received an offer for their first preference course.

St Joseph’s College Principal Anne Marie Cairns said the results reflected a deliberate commitment to making vocational education accessible, respected and relevant to every student.

There are three main pathway options available to senior secondary students in Victoria – the VCE, the VCE Vocational Major (VCE-VM) and the Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC).

The VCE is the traditional, academic-focused curriculum, the VCE-VM is an applied learning program integrated within the VCE structure, and the VPC is a flexible, inclusive foundation course for students who may not be ready or able to complete the mainstream VCE or VCE-VM. VET subjects are available to students studying all three pathways.

“For many of our students, VCE-VM is the pathway to their future,” Ms Cairns said.

“It can lead directly to an apprenticeship or employment, but it can also lead to university and further study. Our job is to make sure every student can see where their education can take them.”

A key part of St Joseph’s approach is that VET subjects are integrated into the normal school timetable. Students can select a VET subject alongside their VCE studies without having to choose between vocational and academic learning. Several VET subjects, including Health Services Assistance, Sport and Recreation, Music and Engineering, are scored subjects that can contribute to students’ ATAR.

The College has also invested heavily in creating authentic learning environments. Its purpose-built Allied Health training facility features hospital-quality equipment, including adjustable beds, medical equipment and clinical simulation dummies, allowing students to train in an environment that reflects the industry they are preparing to enter.

The results from the program are equally impressive, with Health Services Assistance students regularly achieving VCE study scores in the 40s, placing them in the top 8 per cent of the state. Many graduates go on to nursing degrees before returning to work at Echuca Regional Health, creating a direct connection between vocational education and the region's future health workforce.

The College's approach also recognises that students need different ways to succeed. Education support officers are embedded in VET classes to support students with additional learning needs, while the BUILD 10 foundation building and construction course provides a supported entry point for students who may not yet be ready to undertake a full VCE VET qualification.

“The aim is simple,” said Ms Cairns. 

“Every student should have a meaningful pathway into further education, training or employment.”

That philosophy also extends beyond the classroom and into the local community. St Joseph's four-person Work Related Skills and Careers team has built extensive relationships with local employers, helping students connect their learning with the world of work.

This year, 93 per cent of SJC’s 230 Year 10 students secured work experience placements, a result that reflects the strength of the College's relationships with businesses and organisations across the region.

One recent student's experience demonstrates the potential of those connections. After undertaking work experience with a local council, the student was offered a diesel mechanic apprenticeship – a career pathway she may never have discovered without the opportunity created through SJC’s employer relationship.

For St Joseph's, these connections are about more than finding students work experience. They're about building a pipeline between education and the local workforce.

“We want our students to understand that what they’re learning at school has a purpose beyond the classroom,” Ms Cairns said.

“When a student discovers a career they didn't know existed, gains a qualification, secures an apprenticeship or eventually returns to our community as a skilled professional, that's when you see the real value of this work.”

St Joseph’s VET program is supported through its long-standing partnership with the Campaspe VET Cluster (managed by Campaspe Cohuna Local Learning & Employment Network), which brings together schools, registered training organisations and TAFEs to expand vocational opportunities for secondary students across the region.

With student demand, local industry needs and career data informing the development of its VET offerings, the school continues to evolve its programs to meet the needs of both its students and the region.

The College recently introduced construction, art and cookery programs in response to student interest and local demand, while its careers team uses Morrisby career survey data and individual careers counselling to help students make informed pathway choices.

“At our school, the data speaks volumes,” said Ms Cairns.

“When vocational education is treated as an equal partner to academic education, our students get real results.”