Case study:
School sector

Since the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Offshore Program was established in 2000, over 7,000 high school students have successfully completed the VCE internationally, with 94 per cent of international high school student graduates going on to enrol to study at Australian universities.

There are currently 29 offshore programs delivering the VCE to students in China, Malaysia, Timor Leste, Vietnam and the Philippines, with the program expanding to Sri Lanka in 2022. The VCE Offshore Program is delivered on two timetables – the Victorian Academic Timetable (final exams held in September-November) and the Northern Hemisphere Timetable (final exams held in May-June).

VCE Offshore is delivered through a school partnership model. The Victorian non-government schools establish partnerships with offshore schools to deliver the VCE internationally and are licensed by the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority (VCAA). The VCE Offshore partnership model builds strong relationships between school leaders, VCE coordinators and teachers and provides professional learning opportunities for Victorian and offshore teachers.

Victorian teachers mentor VCE offshore teachers at each offshore school to support delivery of the VCE and build teacher capacity. Mentors build VCE offshore teachers’ understanding of the VCE study designs, approaches to learning and teaching, and assessment of student work. The VCAA implements a VCE Offshore quality assurance framework to ensure the integrity of the VCE. This includes visits to each offshore school to observe VCE external examinations and to conduct program audits.