Racks of gowns from a now-closed fashion business have provided inspiration to students taking part in a fashion design course hosted at Ballarat Christian College.
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The school runs a Certificate II in Applied Fashion Design and Technology at its Trade Training Centre as part of the Highlands LLEN VET cluster, for students from schools across the region.
This week trainer Jo Hall found racks of gowns at an op shop and bought them in for the students to try on and gain inspiration and knowledge from.
The course, which started last year, has five students completing second year studies and 14 in its first year.
"These gowns sparked joy and inspiration in those girls, and that's what it's all about," Ms Hall said.
"Like other VET courses it offers students a taste of what the workforce is like in that particular area, so it enables them to ... have one foot in education and one foot in the workforce but under the support and guidance of a teacher/trainer."
The course is run as if it is a workplace, with students working on sewing machines, working on designs and making their own creations which will culminate in a fashion parade at the end of the year.
"They see the whole process and get to have really good taste of everything that the fashion design industry offers. There's so many different career paths in the fashion design industry."
Ms Hall was formerly a teacher and opened a studio just before the COVID lockdowns, and now combines both her passions to teach fashion design.
She said VET programs such as the fashion course were important particularly for COVID-impacted students.
She said worries about COVID, job losses, wealth redistribution, the rise of artificial intelligence and other concerns had combined to leave many students struggling to re-engage with their education.
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"Work-based education ... (allows) students to see a reason for their education more than an ATAR or academic pathway. We need to have a broader approach to education so we create more positive outcomes for our students."
Highlands LLEN chief executive Ben Taylor said while come courses had been cut this year because of numbers, there were more students doing VET across the region with many schools running their own courses.
The number of students studying through Highlands LLEN is similar to last year but many students are getting apprenticeships and traineeships earlier and leaving courses.
The cluster offers 20 different programs through various registered training organisations in the region, ranging from equine studies and animal care to early childhood education, hospitality and building and construction.
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