VET gives Merric a head start for university.

Former Gordon VET student Merric Platt did just that during his VCE studies.

An aspiring engineer, Merric and his family looked at a wide variety of courses he could undertake to assist him to reach his end goal, a Mechatronics Engineering degree at university.

Lorien Platt, Merric’s mum, told us that figuring out what classes to take was made easier once they decided to get Merric into a VET course.

“He decided that he wanted to aim for Mechatronics Engineering at uni a number of years ago,” she said.

“So a strategy needed to be devised to enable him to get the marks to get there. VETDSS seemed ideal, as it could contribute directly to his VCE score and also providing useful practical knowledge to complement his academic subjects.”

Merric enrolled to study Engineering Studies and Furniture Making at The Gordon’s East Geelong Campus as part of his VCE. The courses complimented his VCE classes at his school, Kardinia International College.

“It was a strategic choice because class was once a week which meant I had extra spares to do homework,” he said. “There was not much homework for it, you pretty much do everything in class because it’s generally pretty practical.”

In Furniture Making, Merric excelled, gaining the highest study score in Victoria for the subject. He had a personal passion for building and crafting things at home, and the course assisted him to hone his skills.

“I do a lot of different things like blacksmithing, and stuff like that for fun. I have a lot of different tools, where I just make things, which I’ve been doing since the start of high school,” he said.

Although he loves making furniture and other utensils in his spare time, Merric’s goal was to be offered a place at RMIT to study Mechatronics Engineering.

“My other VET course, Engineering Studies, tied into the course I want to do. Engineering in my mind at least, is a lot of practical application. Furniture Making might not be exactly engineering but, it’s always good to get a better idea of how things are done, so that you can carry that over to a theoretical design.”

With a couple of qualifications already under his belt, Merric is now looking forward to the challenges of university.

He believes that VET courses can offer practical experience and positive outcomes for students who want more than the classroom at school.

“Everyone should at least look into doing a VET course, it’s definitely a good idea to at least look at your options,” he said.

“It is still a VCE subject, even though it’s branded as a VET subject, and I think they are often misunderstood or misinterpreted that they are a lesser subject because it’s not under the branch of VCE. They can still contribute to your end of year score.”

Chat to your VET teacher about adding a VET subject to your VCE. These courses can provide a big advantage for students who are looking to do further studies in practical hands on degrees, like Mechatronic Engineering, or wanting to enter the workforce.

Find out more about VET at thegordon.edu.au/VETDSS.