At Northern College of Arts and Technology you have every opportunity to pursue your passion.
NCAT is a senior secondary government school created for students who are looking to thrive in a supportive environment of like-minded students in order to complete a Year 10, VCE or VCE Vocational Major and go on to tertiary courses, apprenticeships or employment into all areas of the visual and performing arts, design, multimedia, photography or the trades and technologies.
Year 10 students can choose to follow an Arts or a Technology stream to which they can add from an array of VET certificates from either the Arts or Technology. At Years 11 and 12 they can do a combination of VCE and VET or VCE Vocational Major programs. This creates enormous flexibility, allowing us to tailor programs and pathways according to the student’s interests. For example, an Arts student may choose to complete a VET qualification in Electrotechnology, Building and Construction or Musical Instrument Making or a Technology/Trades student studying Engineering can access VET certificates in any Arts area including Screen & Media, Sound Production or Visual Arts.
In addition to a broad VCE offering, NCAT also runs a range of unique and specialist Year 11 & 12 VCAL/VCE Vocational Major programs. These include the Art Immersion program, Performance program and the Pre-apprenticeship programs in Electrotechnology, Building & Construction, Plumbing, Automotive and Engineering.
Post Year 12 students can do Certificate IV programs in Music, Sound Production, Design, Visual Arts and Photography and Digital Imaging as well as the IV in Musical Instrument Making and Repair for which NCAT is the sole training provider in Australia. The college also runs the Diploma of Visual Arts and the Diploma of Photography & Photo Imaging.
From the moment you enter the college you can feel it is different. The welcoming atmosphere, strong and positive relationships between staff and students, the students’ love of what they are learning and strong connection to the college is evident.
Teachers work alongside students fostering personal growth, encouraging diversity & individual passions. Every student benefits from a curriculum designed to meet their needs and to encourage individuality and creativity within a culture of high expectations for both work and behaviour.
Whether you are looking to complete secondary school, find an apprenticeship or pursue further study, NCAT provides students the opportunity to do this in state-of-the-art facilities that mirror industry standards. Teachers are experts in their field whose love for the subjects they teach extends beyond the classroom.
Our strong connections with tertiary institutions and industry, range of programs, and reputation for excellence, means that whether NCAT is your first or last step in heading towards your goals, it will always be one you remember and acknowledge as a significant step in your journey.
“NCAT is known for its equality and giving everybody a fair chance at succeeding at what their love is. If you give people the chance to pursue a passion they’re going to naturally succeed in it.”
– Mark Russell (NCAT Folio Preparation/Guitar Making Teacher)
“All of our students are creative. We are a college of the creatives. We just create different things in the art area and in technology.”
– Daniel Knott (Head of Department, Technology)
Principal's Message
Welcome to the Northern College of the Arts and Technology. We are unique in Victoria, running Year 10-12 and post-secondary programs for students who want to concentrate on their passion, whether it be in the performing arts, visual arts, design, media, photography, trades, technologies or combination of these.
Our students are supported and encouraged by teachers who are experts in their field. Our teachers work alongside students to help them excel in the skills they need to pursue their dreams. Skilled staff and state-of-the-art facilities ensure that our courses are cutting edge and highly valued by tertiary institutions and industry.
We run a number of unique programs, and provide one of the broadest offerings of VET certificates of any secondary school in Victoria. This means that in addition to core subjects, from Year 10, students are able to choose VET certificates in their areas of specialisation that contribute to the VCE and VCE VM. As a nationally Registered Training Organisation, in addition to being a senior college, all of our certificates are recognised Australia wide.
In addition to our full time students, we also support other schools by providing access to some of these VET programs to their students who come to the College half a day per week to access them.
But it is not just the range of programs and facilities that gives the college its special character. New students, whether full-time or external students are quickly made to feel a part of the NCAT family and become members of our close-knit community. Former students return to the college to run workshops, give talks or mentor students and form part of an extensive, supportive community.
NCAT’ reputation for excellence across its programs is recognised state wide. We are delighted to be the recipient of the 2022 Age newspaper’s School that Excel Award for the Northern Melbourne Region for outstanding improvements in VCE results. It’s wonderful recognition for the college and comes on top of one of our teachers being the recipient of the VCAA VCAL Teacher Achievement Award in the Integrated Program category earlier this year.
I hope you gain a sense of this wonderful community and the great opportunities that we provide.
“We value the whole person. Whether they're coming for a VCE program or for an applied program, what we look at is what can they do, not what they can't do and how can we build their skills.”
“We're viewed as a high performing school and a leader in what we do.”
“Originality is one of our core values. So people here can be original, can be different and that is valued.”
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION & TRAINING / RTO
The Northern College of Arts & Technology is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), delivering nationally recognised vocational education and training qualifications (registered with VRQA). NCAT is one of the largest providers of Vocational Education and Training (VET) to secondary schools in the northern region of Melbourne.
All training is delivered within the framework of VET certificates. As an RTO, there are specific qualifications and accredited courses that NCAT has on its scope of registration to deliver. For further information on VET at NCAT please contact the NCAT RTO Manager, or the relevant program manager or coordinator.
NCAT RTO number: 6736
VRQA Quality Indicator Report
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
NCAT is accredited to enrol fee-paying International Students.
CRICOS Provider Name: Department of Education and Training
CRICOS Provider Code: 00861K
International Student Program