The Access Yea Community Education Program (AYCE) is an innovative high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 educational program in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 that is designed to help school leavers and other students who do not fit into the regular school system.

The program

Established in 1999, this is a state-wide program that operates from eight centres across Victoria. It is managed by Yea High School, Yea

Yea, Victoria

Yea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Shire of Murrindindi local government area. Located north-east of Melbourne via the Melba Highway, Yea sits at the junction with the Goulburn Valley Highway, and above sea-level. At the 2006 Census, Yea had a population of 1,052.- History :The...

, under the direction of program manager Annette Scales, but operates completely separate from the school. The program is state government-funded.

Each student is given an individual program. Some might combine Victorian Certificate of Education

Victorian Certificate of Education

The Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...

 (VCE) work with Technical and Further Education

Technical and Further Education

In Australia, training and further education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework...

 courses, or year 10 subjects with VCE subjects. The key is flexibility. It is also seen as an alternative to home schooling. Parents and students are required to sign a contract with the school stipulating the obligations of each party.

Recognition

The program was cited as an example of best practice in open learning programs in a research report, prepared for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, in February 2001.

On 12 October 2004 Ben Hardman

Ben Hardman

Benedict Paul Hardman is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2010, representing the electorate of Seymour....

 praised the program in the Victorian Legislative Assembly

Victorian Legislative Assembly

The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...

. He had visited AYCE with Lynne Kosky

Lynne Kosky

Lynne Janice Kosky is a former Australian politician and senior minister in the Parliament of Victoria. She represented the electoral district of Altona in the Victorian Legislative Assembly for the Australian Labor Party from 1996 to 2010...

, Minister for Education, on 8 October.