As times have changed, so has the education system, offering a variety of pathways to employment beyond traditional schooling. More and more students are choosing alternative routes after Year 10 or post-secondary school. These options include gaining work experience that leads to employment, pursuing Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualifications while still at school or engaging in SchoolTech as an alternative to mainstream education.  SchoolTech allows students to engage with industry 2 days a week and participate in lessons 3 days a week from TAFE Queensland’s Cairns campus.

VET provides hands-on learning tailored to specific careers, with qualifications ranging from Certificate I-IV to Diploma and Advanced Diploma, as well as Vocational Graduate Certificates and Diplomas. Students today have numerous ways to step directly into a job, begin an apprenticeship or traineeship and even use their experience as a springboard to university.