The Aporia · How students are picking vocational and trade subjects to boost their ATAR

How students are picking vocational and trade subjects to boost their ATAR

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Strohfeldt, C. (2026, September 19). How students are picking vocational and trade subjects to boost their ATAR. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/queensland/how-students-are-picking-vocational-and-trade-subjects-to-boost-their-atar-20260920-p607lq.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Tanya Bolt discusses how her son Seth chose vocational education over traditional subjects to enhance his ATAR score. Seth opted for a business diploma as a vocational subject, which contributed positively to his ATAR while allowing him to focus on interests outside the standard curriculum. In Queensland, students can receive an ATAR with VET qualifications if they meet certain requirements, including completing four general subjects and minimum English and math standards. Chris Veraa from QTAC notes that many universities consider completed diplomas or certificate IVs as equivalent to high ATAR scores, often granting direct entry based on these qualifications. The article highlights a growing trend of Queensland university applicants using VET scores, with guaranteed admissions pathways increasing by 21.2% since 2024.

Written by AI on 2026-09-19, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In Queensland, senior high school students like Seth are choosing vocational education and training (VET) subjects to potentially boost their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). When Seth, a 16-year-old student from the Gold Coast, selected his year 11 subjects at the end of year 10, university wasn't on his radar. However, about a year later, when he became interested in university courses, his mother Tanya Bolt said choosing VET subjects was the best decision they could have made.

Seth opted for a diploma in business as part of his VET pathway but remained eligible to calculate an ATAR if certain criteria are met: completing the VET qualification before graduating and studying four general Year 12-level subjects, while also meeting minimum math and English requirements. The Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) converts vocational subject grades on an A-to-E scale into a numerical score out of 100 to include in ATAR calculations.

This pathway can provide students with practical skills while still allowing them access to university courses if they later decide that’s their preferred route, making it a flexible option for future planning.

Written for “Students Choosing Vocational Subjects” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 11% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

CourseCompare’s 2026 Return on Education (ROE) Index Reveals Which Education Pathways Pay Off Fastest Different event

Toronto Star

Hedges 1 of 6 claims Outlet record 64/100

“The articles discuss different aspects of educational pathways, with Article A focusing on an index released by CourseCompare regarding financial returns in Canadian education and Article B discussing a student's choice of vocational subjects to boost their ATAR.”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

11%

2 of 18 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

61/100

The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Education

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-19 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Catherine Strohfeldt

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 31 articles by Catherine Strohfeldt →

Topics

Brisbane Gold Coast QTAC Queensland the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre

Subjects

Bolt PERSON · 5× Seth PERSON · 4× QTAC ORG · 2× Queensland GPE · 2× Brisbane GPE · 1× Chris Veraa PERSON · 1× Gold Coast GPE · 1× Queensland University of Technology ORG · 1× Tanya Bolt PERSON · 1× the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre ORG · 1×

Narrative

In Queensland, senior students studying vocational subjects can receive an ATAR provided they meet minimum maths and English requirements, complete their VET qualification before graduating, and study four general subjects at a year 12 level.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-19

🔮 Less than a year later, as the 16-year-old began showing an interest in university courses, Bolt said picking vocational subjects was the best decision he could have made.

2026-09-19 · The Sydney Morning Herald

How students are picking vocational and trade subjects to boost their ATAR · assertive framing

Claims (18 extracted, 2 hedged)

Tanya Bolt said when her eldest son, Seth, chose his senior subjects at the end of year 10, university was not something on his mind. asserted

university → say → mind

Less than a year later, as the 16-year-old began showing an interest in university courses, Bolt said picking vocational subjects was the best decision he could have made. uncertain

he → begin → subjects

“Chatting with his English teacher, she said, ‘It breaks my heart because it actually gives a higher ATAR than had he gone for a [standard] ATAR pathway at school’,” Bolt said. asserted

Bolt → chat → school

The Gold Coast year 11 student opted to pursue a diploma in business as a vocational education and training (VET) subject, but remained eligible for an ATAR – universities’ key criterion for student selection into tertiary courses. asserted

student → opt → courses

they → study → level

When these requirements are met, the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) converts vocational subjects – graded on an A-to-E scale – into a score out of 100 that can be included in students’ ATAR calculations. asserted

that → meet → calculations

Bolt said pursuing a standard ATAR pathway of six general subjects across year 11 and 12 would have been “a waste of time” for Seth. asserted

pursuing → say → Seth

“Sitting in economics, sitting in psychology, sitting in woodwork – he just had no interest whatsoever,” she said. asserted

she → sit → interest

Instead, Bolt said her son was keen to follow his father into property development, although he had also considered a sports coaching business or, more recently, studying town planning at university. asserted

he → say → university

However, in Seth’s case, Bolt said the 16-year-old would likely walk “straight in” to university with his diploma alone. asserted

old → say → diploma

QTAC chief executive Chris Veraa said many Queensland universities often considered external qualifications above a certificate IV level – the step below a diploma – on their own. asserted

universities → say → own

“Traditionally, universities have assessed VET qualifications by assigning them a selection rank or ATAR equivalent to determine an applicant’s competitiveness for entry,” he said. asserted

he → assess → entry

At Brisbane universities Queensland University of Technology and University of Queensland, a completed VET diploma could be considered equivalent to an ATAR up to 87 and 82, respectively. uncertain

diploma → complete → ATAR

For a certificate IV, the same universities translated a passing grade into a rank up to 72. asserted

universities → translate → 72

At Griffith University, certain courses guaranteed entry to students who had completed VET qualifications equal or higher than a certificate III – including the urban planning degree Seth was considering. asserted

Seth → guarantee → degree

The tertiary admissions centre found the number of university applicants using VET scores – either directly or indirectly – grew by 18 per cent in the past two years. asserted

number → find → years

Veraa said universities were increasingly offering guaranteed and direct admissions pathways based on VET qualifications, with direct entries growing by 21.2 per cent since 2024. asserted

entries → say → 2024

“This reflects a broader shift in how VET is being used within tertiary pathways, with applicants increasingly considering VET as either an input to, or an alternative pathway into, higher education,” he said. asserted

he → reflect → input