Exemption from School Attendance and Enrolment

6. Career Advice Service – transition support for exempted students who will participate in full-time approved education or training and/or employment

From Term 1 2025, students who have been exempted from school to participate in full-time approved education or training and/or employment (refer to Chapters 2 and 3) can access the dedicated Victorian Early Leaver Connection Initiative (VELCI) Career Advice Service through their local Skills and Jobs Centre.

The VELCI Career Advice Service is a free and voluntary service that provides career, training and education advice to support exempted students to stay engaged in their approved education or training and/or employment pathway.

In target areas, the VELCI Career Advice Service can refer exempted students who are Koorie and/or have a disability to additional mentoring and other supports. Further information on the target areas and providers is available on the VELCI website.

Referrals to the VELCI Career Advice Service

If an exemption is granted under Chapter 2 or Chapter 3 of this guidance, the school is encouraged to refer the student to the VELCI Career Advice Service to support the transition to their chosen post-school pathway.

To make a referral to the VELCI Career Advice Service:

• during the exemption from school process, your school should communicate the following information with the student and parent/carer:
  • a Career Advice Service, and other support services, are available to support the student with the transition to their chosen pathway
  • the student and parent/carer contact details provided in the Exemption from School Application form (DOCX) will be shared with the local Skills and Jobs Centre or relevant community provider for the purposes of connecting the student with these services
  • participation in these services is free and voluntary. Further information on the available services can be found on the VELCI website
• use the referral template (DOCX) to share the following information collected in the Exemption from School Application form with the Skills and Jobs Centre if an exemption is granted:
  • student contact information (full name, phone number, email)
  • parent/carer contact information (full name, phone number, email).

Additional detailed personal, sensitive and health information collected in the Exemption from School Application form must not be shared by the school with the Skills and Jobs Centre.

Find details of the Skills and Jobs Centre providing the VELCI Career Advice Service in your school’s local government area on the VELCI website.

The Skills and Jobs Centre will be responsible for seeking consent from the exempted student and their parent/carer to participate in the support and for referring students who are Koorie and/or have a disability to additional mentoring and other supports.