St Patrick’s Technical College is committed to providing a contemporary, quality and engaging curriculum, ensuring all students can develop independence and experience success in their learning. Preparing young people for the transition from school into skilled careers and ongoing learning is a key priority.
The curriculum integrates learning from the Australian Curriculum, VET and SACE Stage 1 and Stage 2 subjects across Years 10, 11 and 12. The College develops the SACE courses and subjects it offers ensuring there is a specific trade focus in each subject studied.
Real Workplace Experience
St Patrick’s Technical College’s purpose-built facility, located within the industrial and economic hub of Elizabeth, includes industry-equipped workshops and classrooms for students’ pre-vocational studies.
Learning a trade at St Patrick’s Technical College guarantees you will be working in industry-standard workshops with the latest technologies, equipment and tools. Students also have access to a gymnasium, fully equipped lunchroom and a number of flexible learning areas providing spaces for independent or collaborative learning and relaxation.
The College aims to create a real workplace experience for students, fostering direct links to industry and employers. Students are exposed to the world of work through an extensive work experience program, providing them the opportunity to go out and experience the real workplace, understand what it means to be work ready and to then prepare themselves to be work ready.
These experiences enable students to gain valuable exposure and vast networking opportunities to a broad range of industries which assist with career pathway exploration, upskilling opportunities and employment outcomes.
St Patrick’s Technical College regularly hosts industry leaders and employers to provide mentoring and project development to students and staff. Industry helps to guide the curriculum and support the way it is delivered, so student and staff experiences remain relevant to what is happening in the real world.
This establishment of long-term partnerships between industry, employers, government and training providers, affords students the opportunity to engage with the world of work and better understand the relevance of their learning and post-school pathways.
Working with such an extensive and relevant industry network also enables the College to jointly develop the skills and capabilities required by current and future workplaces that are critical in helping students to successfully secure an apprenticeship or traineeship.
The SACE curriculum has been developed specifically to support the pre-vocational training. Our educational model allows for the complete integration of SACE with VET, with core subjects taught in a way that makes them relevant to each specific trade program. These subjects have been developed with direct input from industry.
With its extensive connections to industry, the College actively seeks out opportunities for industry to be involved in classrooms and workshops to support VET. Industry partners come into co-author and deliver projects in conjunction with College staff, targeting specific VET skills and knowledge for students. Industry partners mentor students and staff and commit to take on students for work experience, providing apprenticeship opportunities where they may be on offer.
St Patrick’s Technical College offers great flexibility in its curriculum and timetabling to support and recognise the importance a wide variety of learning experiences plays in the development of students. The College maximises the use of SACE framework subjects to create subject specific content relevant to the changing demands of the trade courses it offers.
SACE subjects are specifically developed and delivered within a VET context. So, it is through the VET courses that the College makes SACE accessible for many of its students. Theoretical concepts taught in the classroom are applied practically in the workshop, providing real learning outcomes as required in the workplace.
St Patrick’s Technical College’s values and offerings emanates from our nature as a Catholic school. At the heart of being Catholic is the call to welcome all people. The College brings this vision alive through building a community where young people are valued and supported as they learn and grow together.
St Patrick’s Technical College is genuinely interested in helping young people navigate their senior secondary years. The success of every student is not only measured by their academic and job outcomes, but students leave our College as well-rounded, caring adults that contribute in a positive way to our society. The student is at the centre of all College activities, as we believe in the importance of nurturing their physical, social, moral and spiritual needs in a safe learning environment.
The College takes a personalised approach to each student’s educational experience. The commitment to the pastoral care of every student is supported by a Pastoral Care Mentor who plays an important role in caring and supporting students at the College by creating and nurturing positive and mutually respectful relationships with them and their families.