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ACE Rules

Clarified ACE Rules came into effect on 14 October 2024. These rules apply to students commencing HSC courses from Term 4 2024, for students sitting for HSC exams in 2025, and for students receiving the RoSA from October 2024.

For students sitting for HSC exams in 2024, the previous ACE Online rules continue to apply.

To learn more about how NESA has clarified the ACE Rules, refer to the information sheets.

VET course completion

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Updated 03 Jul 2024

NESA has not changed its requirements for VET course completion.

All current ACE Online rules concerning VET course completion have been transferred to the NSW Curriculum website without change to content. Schools should continue to follow their existing processes for VET course completion until NESA publishes clarified requirements.

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Sections 11 and 94 of the Education Act 1990 (NSW) set out the curriculum requirements and eligibility requirements for the award of the RoSA.

Sections 12, 95 and 95A of the Education Act 1990 (NSW) set out the curriculum requirements and eligibility requirements for the award of the HSC.

Categories

HSC (assessment)HSC credentialHSC (curriculum)K–10PreliminaryRoSAVET

Satisfactory completion of an HSC Vocational Educational Training (VET) course

  1. As with all HSC courses, students undertaking VET courses may be deemed to have either completed or not completed course requirements based on the course completion criteria.
  2. The HSC course requirements in a VET course are defined by:
    1. the HSC indicative hour requirements of the course
    2. the HSC course structure
    3. mandatory work placement requirements (if applicable)
    4. the HSC content (focus areas) and associated mandatory and stream (if applicable) units of competency in Loading...
    5. competency-based assessment requirements.
  3. HSC unit credit for a VET course is withheld if there is no evidence of training activity (VET data). This includes where there is no RTO assigned, no enrolment in a qualification, no competency outcomes, or ‘Did not start’ outcome for all competencies.
  4. Schools in partnership with an RTO delivering an HSC VET course must ensure that the scope and sequence and program for delivery of the course address all of the HSC course requirements.
  5. The course requirements for HSC VET courses can be found in the syllabus for Loading...courses or in the course description for Loading....

VET mandatory work placement

  1. The requirement to complete work placement in a VET framework course is also stated in the student declaration on the Confirmation of Entry. This is to be signed by the student and retained by the school.
  2. If a student fails to undertake any mandatory work placement component it may be determined that the student has not made a genuine attempt to complete course requirements. In this case the principal can indicate that the course has not been satisfactorily completed and the student may be issued with a non-completion (‘N’) determination.
  3. It is possible for the principal to certify, at a later time, that the student has subsequently completed the mandatory requirements and request that the ‘N’ determination be withdrawn.

Online resources

Related ACE Rules

For further information

For enquiries about course completion for VET courses, please contact Student Support on (02) 9367 8117 or by email at studentsupport@nesa.nsw.edu.au.

For further information, please contact your region’s NESA Liaison Officer on (02) 9367 8387 or by email liaisonteam@nesa.nsw.edu.au.