To read about the program Download The Documentation Now or continue reading below.

Once you have considered if this program is suitable for your school, please register your interest for the 'event' by either selecting the registration button on this screen or emailing the VCTA Executive Officer.  A VCTA staff member will be in contact to talk about your school's place in the program. Please note, up to 10 schools will be accepted into this program based on SFOE ranking from across Victoria.

VCTA’s Shaping the Future - Years 7 to 10 Economics and Business

Shaping the Future in Years 7 to 10 Economics and Business is a unique collaborative professional learning partnership opportunity between interested school teams and the Victorian Commercial Teachers Association (VCTA). The partnership aims to support school-based teachers to build Years 7 – 10 Economics and Business Curricula as mandated by the Victorian Government and to ensure that the curricula will meet VRQA minimum standards for school registration. The partnership is open to all low-socioeconomic government schools in western metropolitan Melbourne and will operate from Term 1 2026 through to Term 4 December 2027.  The partnership is fully funded by the Victorian Government through the Department of Education (DE) and is free to all participating Government schools.

The VCTA will support and provide Years 7 to 10 Economics and Business professional development via collaborative and tailored half day, full day and after-hours sessions to participating schools.  This will include sessions for:

• frameworks,
• curriculum mapping,
• pedagogical skills,
• assessment practices, and
• implementation methods in preparation for the 2028 school year or earlier.

Where possible, the impact on the school day will be kept to a minimum.

About VCTA:  VCTA is a not-for-profit independent organisation providing leadership, support services, programs and resources to over 4500 business and economics, civics and citizenship educators. VCTA's membership is drawn from people working in schools, groups and organisations associated with schools, tertiary institutions, and teachers in training.  The VCTA is overseen by a Board of Directors and is affiliated with Business Educators Australasia (BEA) where it provides a voice on relevant national policy and educational matters.

What will VCTA provide your school team as a part of the partnership?

School teams that choose to join the partnership will have free access to:

• An initial VCTA consultation meeting with all schools that are accepted into the partnership.
  This will occur in Term 1, or very early Term 2 2026, and can be delivered via a Teams video call.
• Guidance, support and advice from VCTA that will cover:
  • How to create frameworks, content and curriculum mapping for the Economics and Business Victorian Curriculum
  • Methods to ensure that you meet minimum school registration for Years 7 – 10 Economics and Business curriculum coverage
  • pedagogical approaches and strategies
  • assessment for learning tools
  • methods for integrating curriculum where applicable.

    
    

• At least four mentoring meetings with a VCTA representative throughout 2026 & 2027 to be conducted onsite at your school with the teachers involved in the project.
• Four in-person professional learning events in Melbourne fully covered for the participating teachers focusing on the key areas of: pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment.
• Online or in-person sessions to support implementation methods and to ensure a successful launch of your new curriculum in the 2028 school year or earlier.
• Recognition of work undertaken during the partnership via special VCTA social media updates and an invitation to co-present the project outcomes at the annual VCTA conference in 2028.

To maximise the benefit of joining the partnership, VCTA suggests that a school team consist of two or more educators.  Please feel free to discuss this requirement further if you cannot provide a team.

What will schools need to commit to as a part of the partnership?

• A commitment to writing and trialling your own Years 7 – 10 Economics and Business curriculum in the context of your Years 7 to 10 classroom environment. This may be at one year level, one teaching team, or one area of a subject only for the purpose of the partnership and will be determined in conjunction with VCTA to ensure that the commitment suits the needs of your school and meets the requirements of the Department funding.
• Sharing with the VCTA and other partnership schools your progress at combined meetings.
• A willingness to be documented and interviewed for feedback as organised by VCTA for the purposes of sharing your journey to help other VCTA member schools in the future.
• A commitment and willingness to share developed resources as appropriate via COMPAK (VCTAs member online journal) and/or share your school’s learning journey in this project at Comview in 2028.
• A commitment to releasing at least two teachers to attend all meetings, seminars and professional development days as a part of the project, especially the in-person days and the online video calls.
• Up to ten teachers of choice, including out of field teachers, can join the project over the two years.

Key Dates and Professional Learning Events

Online sessions are in green; In-person sessions are in blue. 
All ‘in-person sessions’ will be located in the city.

All events listed below are free to participants in the program.

 For further information or to express interest in the VCTA Shaping the Future in Years 7 to 10 professional learning program please contact Michelle Mitchell, Executive Officer at VCTA or register using the button on this page.

P: 03 9419 9622     |      E:  Michelle Mitchell (Executive Officer)

Please note, places in this professional learning partnership are limited to 10 government schools to ensure that each school receives a tailored and professionally supported program.