Victorian government schools have updated guidance for purchasing vocational education and training, including revised contracts, provider checks and student-readiness requirements for off-site training.
The Victorian Department of Education has updated two policy topics covering how government schools purchase vocational education and training (VET) and arrange access to off-site training.
The Purchasing Vocational Education and Training policy was updated on 8 October to publish a new version of the Standard VET purchasing contract. The department also restructured the guidance to make information easier for schools to find.
The separate Vocational Education and Training Delivered to School Students policy was updated on 13 October to include information about the VET Transport Fund and an expression-of-interest form for schools seeking transport support for students undertaking VET in 2027.
Schools must check providers and contracts
The purchasing policy outlines the steps schools must take when arranging VET through registered training organisations (RTOs), including TAFEs, school-based RTOs and private providers.
Schools must conduct due diligence before entering an arrangement, checking that the provider is registered with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority or the Australian Skills Quality Authority and that the qualification is within its scope of registration.
They must also assess whether the training program, delivery setting and student support arrangements are suitable for the intended cohort.
Government schools must use the department’s standard contracts and agreements for the relevant delivery model and complete the documentation before training begins. The contracts set out responsibilities for student safety and wellbeing, communication, information sharing, attendance monitoring, training and assessment.
The department provides different agreements for direct RTO delivery, training delivered by a government school-based RTO and arrangements in which school staff deliver training under an RTO’s supervision.
For off-site training at an RTO, schools must complete a VET readiness check before confirming a student’s enrolment. This helps identify whether the arrangement is appropriate and what support the student may need.
Schools must also obtain parent or carer consent before sharing relevant student information with an RTO, including health and wellbeing information, support plans and literacy and numeracy assessment results.
Schools can seek transport support for 2027
The department’s 13 October update to its VET Delivered to School Students policy adds an expression-of-interest form for schools seeking transport support through the VET Transport Fund in 2027.
Transport is one of the practical considerations for schools arranging off-site training, particularly when students travel to external providers or specialist facilities.
The department’s related VET clusters policy states that, from 2027, departmental Jobs, Skills and Pathways teams will oversee clusters previously overseen by Local Learning and Employment Networks and support access to VET transport. Existing arrangements for VET clusters and transport will continue for the remainder of 2026.
VET clusters coordinate training opportunities across schools and work with registered training organisations and other local partners to expand student access to vocational pathways.
The updated purchasing guidance and transport information are available through the Victorian Department of Education’s Purchasing Vocational Education and Training policy and Vocational Education and Training Delivered to School Students policy.