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Educational reform in NSW in the 1990's attempted to make the secondary school curriculum more socially inclusive, largely by reducing the distinctions between the types of courses which tended to separate privileged students from others. These reforms coincided with the renovation of vocational education, which saw the expansion of TAFE-delivered courses, as well as the growth of school-delivered VET courses. This study aimed to examine the educational patterns which emerged following these reforms. It tried to define the ways in which both VET and secondary education as a whole fitted into the lives of students and their families, how schools provided VET courses to specific student groups within the wider context of HSC reform, and attemtped to draw lessons for the implementation of future policies and practices. The study found that including VET courses in mainstream curriculum and in the university selection processes benefitted disadvantaged students, but nonetheless raised issues relating to staff training, facilities and course development which need to be addressed. The study concludes with a set of proposals to facilitate continuing reform.