Pathways for Students with Disabilities After School
After secondary school students with disabilities may choose to pursue further education and training. Students with disabilities are provided with a range of supports to assist them to successfully complete training or higher education programs. These include:
Higher education
Higher education courses offered in Victoria, range from undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, to diplomas. Courses are available to students at universities, some TAFE institutes or at a private higher education provider.
For more information, see:
- Going to Uni – contains detailed information about going to university.
Vocational Education and Training
Within the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, there is an extensive range of courses to choose from at TAFE institutes, Adult Community Education organisations, TAFE Divisions of some universities, or a private training provider. Training opportunities range from short courses to vocational graduate diplomas. Many courses offer on-the-job training, and apprentices and trainees have the opportunity to learn while being employed.
Training is delivered through a range of options. The time it takes a young person to complete their qualification will depend on their prior level of skills and knowledge, whether the student is studying full-time, part-time or externally as well as what qualification they are studying.
For more information, see: Skills Victoria's Get Training
Short courses
If a student is unsure whether University or TAFE is right for them, they may do some short courses. Short courses are a valuable way of looking into career pathways and are often used as a stepping stone to further education.
For more information, see:
- Skills Victoria's Get Training
- Adult, Community and Further Education – Adult Community Education (ACE) provides early, less formal learning opportunities in a friendly local environment.
Supports available
The National Disability Coordination Officer (NDCO) program targets the barriers that people with a disability face in successfully accessing and completing post-school education and training and subsequent employment. NDCOs perform a range of functions to help people with disability gain access to and successfully complete post-school education and training, and employment. NDCOs can provide practical assistance and advice to individuals with a disability and their families, education and training providers, as well as employment and community support agencies.
Most universities and TAFE's have links to NDCOs and some employ their own disability liaison officer, while others are employed regionally and are shared across campuses, particularly within the TAFE sector.
Disability liaison officers can assist with:
- making the introduction to further study easier by talking to students and finding out about their needs
- putting students in touch with others who have similar support requirements
- information about scholarships and grants and how to apply for them
- pre-enrolment advice
- advice about special entry schemes available
- application and enrolment advice.
For more information, see:
- National Disability Coordination Officer (NDCO) Program – a national network of officers to improve the coordination and delivery of support services to help make it easier to enrol or participate in post-school education, training and employment.
- DiVine – a Victorian website written by and for people with a disability, which includes articles on a wide range of topics.