What is TAFE ?
Technical and Further Education or TAFE as it is commonly referred to offer courses designed for:
- young people preparing for their first job
- mature age people looking to train or retrain
- people preparing for university studies
Courses offered at TAFE provide students with practical skills that are transferable to the workplace. Most TAFE courses are based on national competency standards that are set around industry training packages. These packages are designed to produce a nationally consistent curriculum and levels of training so that students receive the same standard of training no matter which TAFE they attend.
The content of courses run by TAFE are vocationally orientated and require students to undertake practical placements in the workplace. This aspect to TAFE courses provides employers with the knowledge that TAFE graduates have practical experience in applying their skills. Most TAFE courses are developed in consultation with industry.
There are currently six levels of courses offered by TAFE from Certificate I - IV in a wide range of trade and non trade areas in addition to Diploma and Advanced Diploma courses. A small number of TAFE institutes also offer higher education courses such as Bachelor degrees, Graduate Certificates and Graduated Diplomas in selected fields of study.
TAFE graduates can claim credit toward higher level TAFE qualifications and toward some university degrees. TAFE graduates with a Diploma may also be eligible for some university courses in a similar field and be given credit or recognition for prior learning. To find out more about this process contact the tertiary admissions body in your State or Territory.
There are currently five hundred TAFE campuses located across Australia!
Sharon Cox talks about the skills
she has learnt while studying
at TAFE as a mature age student with a
disability