Standard Level

SYLF Standard course structure

The SYLF Standard Level course is designed to prepare students for employment in a range of industries and/or further study.

By incorporating the Certificate II in work preparation, SYLF standard focuses on the development of core literacy, numeracy and ICT literacy skills. 

The program has been structured to be flexible and easily adaptable to local or regional requirements and opportunities.

The six units of learning

Industry learning (20 week structure work placement)

'Industry learning' offers students the chance develop industry specific knowledge and to learn workplace values. Students can complete a structured work placement, part time apprenticeship, traineeship or part time job.

Industry learning aims to provide students with real opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in a workplace context whilst investigating career possibilities. Some possible experiences include:

  • Ecotourism guide or conservation field assistant
  • National parks field worker
  • Station hand
  • Community services support worker

Personal development (40 hour structured placement)

'Personal development' offers students the ability to participate in a community based project, voluntary work or negotiated structured activity.  The aims are to develop students' self confidence, teamwork skills and sense of social awareness.

Employability skills

'Employability skills' aims to allow students to develop a range of industry specific and general work related skills such as:

  • communication, teamwork and problem solving
  • planning, organising and self management
  • enterprise and initiative

Literacy, numeracy and ICT literacy

The literacy component of the SYLF aims to ensure that students are capable of everyday adult reading, writing and speaking and have the skills to develop and apply these in:

  • workplace settings
  • education and training contexts
  • civic life and
  • their personal and social life.

As with literacy, studying numeracy within the SYLF aims to develop the core numerical skills of students, ensuring the everyday adult understanding of numbers, measurement, space, chance and data.

ICT literacy involves developing the skills in the everyday adult use of computers and the internet to access, manage, integrate and evaluate information.

Within the SYLF standard level course, employability skills, literacy, numeracy and ICT literacy can include relevant subjects from State/Territory senior secondary certificates or other accredited studies.