Queensland Certificate of Education
The Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) is Queensland's new senior schooling qualification. The Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) will award the QCE to students who successfully meet all of the requirements.
A completed or partially completed school-based apprenticeship or traineeship (SAT) may contribute towards your QCE.
How to plan for a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
Will everyone get a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
What can contribute to a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
What is a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) credit?
How much credit can a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship (SAT) contribute?
School-based apprenticeship or traineeship (SAT) credits: at a glance
What happens if a student doesn't receive a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
Do all students receive a senior statement?
Want to find out more about school-based apprenticeships or traineeships (SATs) and the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
How to plan for a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
In year 10 schools will help students to develop a plan outlining their education and training goals. This may be called a senior education and training (SET) plan.
It maps out what, where and how students will study during years 11 and 12. The SET plan needs to be agreed by students, their parents or carers, and the school. It can be started at anytime, but should be finalised by the end of year 10.
The students and school will review the SET plan to monitor your progress. The plan can be updated at anytime.
Will everyone get a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
No, not everyone will qualify for a QCE. To be eligible for a QCE, the student must:
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have a learning account opened with the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA)
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complete 20 credits in contributing studies at the required standard and in a required pattern of learning
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meet literacy and numeracy requirements.
What can contribute to a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
As students move through years 11 and 12 a wide range of learning outcomes can be banked in the learning account.
These include senior school subjects, school-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SATs), vocational education and training, workplace learning recognised by the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) and university subjects undertaken whilst at school.
All of these can contribute towards the QCE.
What is a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) credit?
Achievements that contribute to the QCE are measured in terms of credit. Different types of achievement contribute different amounts of credit towards the QCE.
For example:
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at least a sound achievement in four semesters of an 'authority' subject will contribute four credits
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a successfully completed nationally-recognised Vocational Education and Training (VET) Certificate II will contribute four credits
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a successfully completed nationally-recognised Certificate III and IV will contribute up to eight credits. (Some Certificates III and IV will contribute fewer than eight credits.)
For QCE credit details visit the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) Career Information Service.
Some learning achievements will be recorded in the QSA learning account but will not be allocated credit such as a 'very limited achievement' in a school subject because it does not meet the required amount of learning or set standard.
How much credit can a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship (SAT) contribute?
School-based apprenticeships can contribute up to six credits towards the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE) upon completion of the school-based part of the apprenticeship. Completion is based on 30 per cent of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Certificate III or IV competencies plus 96 days of paid work.
Where a school-based apprenticeship is partially completed there are two ways to gain credit towards the QCE:
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completion of 25 per cent of the VET certificate III or IV is worth two credits (the same as most other VET Certificate III or IV qualifications)
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20 days of paid work completed as part of the school-based apprenticeship is worth one credit which may add up to a maximum of four credits if 80 to 96 days paid work is completed.
Your supervising registered training organisation (SRTO) will work with you and your school to develop a Training Plan. The Training Plan will outline the amount of work and off-the-job training that you need to complete to achieve your QCE goals.
School-based traineeship credits are determined based on the credits allocated to the VET Certificate. For example, a successfully completed nationally-recognised VET Certificate III and IV will be awarded eight credits (unless otherwise stated*).
If the VET Certificate is not completed, credit will be determined by the number of VET competencies achieved in your Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) learning account, compared with the number needed to complete the full VET Certificate.
SAT credits: at a glance
| VET Certificate III or IV apprenticeships delivered through school-based arrangements |
QCE credit | VET Certificate II including school-based traineeships |
QCE credit | VET Certificate III or IV including school-based traineeships | QCE credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 days of paid work** | 1 | 25% of the VET Certificate | 1 | 25% of the VET Certificate | 2 |
| 25% of the VET Certificate | 2 | 50% of the VET Certificate | 2 | 50% of the VET Certificate | 4 |
| Completed school-based apprenticeship*** | 6 | 75% of the VET Certificate | 3 | 75% of the VET Certificate | 6 |
| Completed VET Certificate | 4 | Completed VET Certificate | 8 |
*Credits and percentages may vary for some Vocational Education and Training (VET) Certificates III-IV. Visit the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) Career Information Service for more information.
** Each 20 days paid work completed is worth one credit which may add up to four credits if 80 to 96 days paid work is completed.
*** Completion is based on 30 per cent of the VET Certificate III or IV plus 96 days paid work.
While some students will complete their traineeships while at school, many will still be in the middle of their training when they finish school. If the school-based apprenticeship or traineeship is not completed at school, students will need to convert their apprenticeship or traineeship to full-time/part-time arrangements when they finish school. If students convert and complete year 12 without achieving a QCE, they can continue to complete their VET Certificate and have it count towards the QCE.
What happens if a student doesn't receive a Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
If a student completes year 12 without achieving a QCE, their learning account will remain open, regardless of their age.
After year 12, any QCE-related learning can still be recorded in the learning account if the student advises the learning provider of this goal.
When a student becomes eligible for the QCE, the Queensland Studies Authority will issue the certificate in the following July or December.
Do all students receive a Senior Statement?
All students who finish year 12 will receive a senior statement in December of that year. This statement will be a transcript of their learning account, recording all the learning undertaken and your results.
Want to find out more about school-based apprenticeships and traineeships and the Queensland Certificate of Education (QCE)?
For further information about the QCE talk with your school or visit the Queensland Studies Authority website or phone QSA on (07) 3864 0299 or email qce@qsa.qld.edu.au.