American reacts to: What is "TAFE" in Australia? 

I am a recently retired TAFE teacher of 30years, teaching electricians. We have two main political parties in Australia. The liberal party (our republican equivalent) tries to privatise TAFE and charge high fees. The labour party (our democrat equivalent) which are our current government, provides mostly fee-free places and keeps TAFE as publicly owned institutions. TAFE has a very proud history and is one of the largest education systems in the world. Most Aussies will have family members who have gone through TAFE. If you live in a house, drive a car, have flowers at your wedding etc, All Those people have been trained at TAFE. It has long been a major strength of Australian economy and society. So Aussies, remember all this every time you vote in an election.

I have a brother whom I am so proud of. He left school at like 16... got an apprenticeship as a fitter and machinist, through TAFE and made a career out of that. He got married, had 4 kids but then decided he wanted to actually be an engineer. He went to University at the age of 40, cleaned the University cafeteria etc. with his wife for income.... and graduated as an engineer at the age of 44. All whilst looking after 4 kids. I can't tell you the pride I have in him.

I had a poor education in my childhood but I didn't let that stop me. I was a late bloomer, i was a stay at home mum until 40 years old, i got my licence to drive, went to TAFE and passed my certificate 3 in aged care as a carer. I worked for 2 years. Then decided to go back to TAFE and did my diploma of nursing and became an Enroled Nurse. I worked for 2 years in an aged care facility. Then I went to university became a Registered Nurse. i currently work i a hospital. In my experience I have found that TAFE prepared me for work than university.

The smart ones who do TAFE usually end up with higher paying employment than those with University degrees. Many of the courses at TAFE are free because the government has designated them as essential to overcome shortages in many occupations.

My son went to TAFE in his late teens/early twenties to study commercial photography. Along with two high school friends he set up a small animation studio. After a decade of production they sold the studio to a large gaming studio. My son then turned to teaching animation, special effects and documentary production, also producing several virtual reality documentaries. During this time he earned a PhD, and now lectures at the state university as an associate professor. And the cost of his TAFE course was zero dollars and zero cents.

So the right wing state governments(Liberal) in Australia hated funding TAFE. But loved the people who fix and or build their multiple rental properties. TAFE rocks. You always need plumbers, builders, electricians. TAFE has been underfunded for years but now reinvigorating.

TAFE - Technical and Further Education. The government will sometimes offer free funding for various courses. My granddaughter is studying Enrolled Nursing this year for free and at present she is doing 3 weeks of practical work at a local aged care facility - no wages. Next year she will study Registered Nursing. She may need to pay for her RN study but as of yesterday’s government budget students will be paid around $320 per week next year for practical placements.

A lot of TAFE qualifications are recognised by universities for credits, so starting education in TAFE can get you directly into the workforce, and if you extend the education to a uni degree, students are usually well ahead of those in their uni classes because the tafe student already has industry experience. And likely working concurrently.

My two sons got their school certificates in year 10, started their 4 year plumbing apprenticeships and attended TAFE one day every week. They were paid by their employer even for the day they attended TAFE.

My kids (who are both in university now) went to a public high school here in Victoria that offered streamed senior classes for students who showed aptitude for trades. Students who aimed to work in hospitality, hairdressing, building industry etc all had options, and were celebrated for their achievements just as much as the academically inclined students. It takes all sorts to make a functioning society and I (as a university graduate myself) think TAFE is an excellent thing that should be available to anyone who wants to follow those pathways.

My son was 15 yrs old and was not interested in school. He did a 12 month course at tafe in south Australia in engineering fabrication got a apprenticeship after the year earning a 4 year apprenticeship wages and all training played for by the company. 14 years later he is earning 6 figures working for a mining company . Very proud mum and dad thanks to our great schooling system in the lucky country. Ps love your channel 😂

I spent 6 years studying a double science degree at UNSW. Then 2 years studying a Masters of Teaching. I was then a primary school teacher for 5 years. Now I'm a truck driver who spent 8 years studying chemistry, physics, pharmacology, physiology and teaching. The moral of the story is that I would never have got a job driving a truck without 3 degrees. 😂😂😂

I visited TAFE yesterday as a 'client' for my daughter's Nail Technician course. She began year 11 last year but finished after first term deciding to go to TAFE. She did an assistant hairdressing course initially (for free) but then moved onto the nail technician course (also free) which her teacher says she has a skill for. This has helped her decide that she wants to follow the beauty line of work. I did TAFE in the 80s. Firstly an after school course to learn typing (free) and then after leaving Year 10 I did a full time secretarial course at TAFE which was the same as school hours (Mon to Fri, 9am to 3.30pm). My ultimate employer would ring the TAFE asking for recommendations of the students doing the course. I worked in the same legal firm for 30 years from 1985 at the age of 17.

I did a 4 year drafting diploma at TAFE in the 80's via a traineeship at a state government electricity corporation. It really set me up for my whole career as one of the first to utilize computerized drafting. I now work for a global engineering software company supporting the software I was initially trained to work with. In many circumstances you can get a higher paying job through courses at TAFE than what going to University can offer.

When I went to TAFE in my 50's to learn about getting into the Retail Industry.. They recommended Cert 1 in Vocational Preparation (it was a prerequisite to get into Cert 2 of Retail). This course was aimed at those who were unsure about what they wanted to do.. It covered various things such as Briggs Meyers tests to find out your strengths, which then showed you the type of jobs that may suit you, how to do a CV or resume, how to do basic computer skills & emails & job seeking online. The ages in my class ranged from me at 55 to 17 year olds who'd left school & weren't sure what to do with themselves. It was so good to see people's confidence in themselves start to blossom. TAFE is brilliant!!!

I did Tafe fine arts from 2009 to 2014. I finished year 12 high school in 2011. So did it while in school and working at a job or in 2012 worked 2 jobs also had to pay for each part of the course while I was going so no debts at the end just pay as you go. Other people took around 2 years to finish but took me longer because of multiple disability’s and had a lady who started helping me and others in school she got me in into it with my mum and both came to classes. The lady died the next year. My mum finished a year before me so I had to finish it by myself as when I was in school I could only attend the 2 night classes per week and not the 2 day classes. Was really brutal but in a way felt like I needed to complete it because of the lady. Now I’m an international 3 time in a row award winning artist been in almost 40 exhibitions and have my work in other countries around the world.

I got a career in IT from TAFE, that was back in the early 80s, I also met a girl there that became my wife. TAFE is superior to Uni in every way.

48 year old currently doing a Cert 4 at TAFE, love learning.

The cert III in refrigeration and air conditioning is free as it is a skills shortage area. That $16k fee is IF you had to pay for it say if you were a non-citizen. Ther person walking around videoing was showing off the TAFE college at Ultimo (suburb) in the middle of Sydney, It's not far from Central Railway station and the University of Technology Sydney with the University of Sydney not far down the road. I taught at the Ultimo campus for a number of years

Some of the courses you can take at TAFE... carpentery, welding, plumbing, photography, IT, cooking, nursing, painting and decorating, book keeping, accounting, these are just some of the many courses you can take.

We also encourage Work Experience during the last years of high school where students go & do a week of work during their school holidays in a job they are considering as an occupation. Our son wanted to be a motorcycle mechanic so my husband arranged for him to do a week's work experience at a motorcycle engineering shop owned by my husband's mate. Our son enjoyed it that much he spent his entire school holidays doing work experience & went back during subsequent holidays. He was not a very motivated school student, but after doing the work experience he realised he needed to improve his reading skills to read workshop manuals & improve his maths for workshop machining calculations. His school results improved markedly & he was offered an apprenticeship where he had been doing his work experience. His employer paid for him to attend TAFE one day a week & he found himself top of his class in the small engines engineering course.

My sister is a TAFE teacher (over 30 years) in Early Childhood Education. She started her career as a preschool teacher and did a uni course to upgrade her qualifications in the same field to teach at TAFE. At her graduation some of the 3rd year students provided a musical interlude. They became the Wiggles. She could retire, but loves teaching at TAFE.

TAFE gets you job ready with practical tips, skills , and the experience of being taught by actual working professionals in their industry. Having your teachers who still work in the field is fantastic. I did a Diploma of community services and was offered a Diploma of case management all in one. It was a fantastic experience. This opened up a pathway for me to get 1 year credit towards a bachelor of social sciences. I became a social worker thanks to Tafe. I started studying at 38 years of age …

I’m a huge TAFE advocate. I did Professional Writing and Editing and it changed my life and career.

TAFE is usually free for unemployed, for those doing apprenticeships the employer pays it. It is basically trade school for things that don't require degrees, like plumbing and electricians, but it can also be a pathway to university degrees as well. I have 3 TAFE diplomas and 1 Advanced Diploma and I work as a govt clerk with reasonably decent pay 😀

Back in the late seventies I started an apprenticeship as an Auto Electrician, because I started my trade in April the year for the new apprentices had started. But back all those years ago the first year was Electrical trades one day a week. This meant we did 240 volt theory and practical. In the second year we did Automotive Electrical, but we had to travel into the centre of Sydney to attend TAFE (Technical and further education) because I was a year ahead of all the students, my teacher had to do something so he got me to run the class. My employer was subsidised for my day at tech. We had charges for our books, but that was it. Believe it not that photo was the TAFE I went to.Just around the corner was the Agincourt hotel, a couple of schooners and back to the practical session. Just across the road is central station.

TAFE also provides English tuition for migrants and refugees. This is free and can include English related to specific jobs such as barista cafe work or hotel services staff. These latter are not highly paid but can provide an income until the new Australian can develop good enough English to study for or return to a profession.

I did a "TV Studio Production Techniques" course at TAFE. Then, at the request of a bunch of us students, they started a "Film Production Techniques" course, which I also did. I've been in film & TV for over fifty years and still remember some of what they taught me.

Tafe Advanced Diplomas such as nursing, IT, etc. As they said, it is all directed toward getting a job. For the unemployed and mature aged it was fee-free or very low priced.

I went to TAFE out of high school. I did a Certificate 4 in Hospitality and a Certificate 4 in Creative Writing and Editing. In the Hospitality class we ran a restaurant and most of the students were mid-20s with some older students. In CW&E we had more people over 40 taking part. I also did an art course for fun, which had a mix of all ages. Those are some of my best years, imo - I learned a lot, figured out a lot and made good friends from all walks of life.

Happy Arvo Ryan! 🙋 I have lots of happy memories of TAFE college, those little bits of extra knowledge and creative ideas that give you an edge in working life - meeting similar people in small classes! There is no age limit, my father had a Uni Science degree, later a Tafe Real Estate licence, Computers +! An extra diploma may mean two hours in class and some weekend study, a hobby is useful too! The tutors are great, and many courses are fully employer or government sponsored! Those random buildings are Ultimo Tafe, one site, there's many suburban ones too! 😄

Usually it's free, I did 3 courses over 20 years ago and didn't pay anything but was very grateful

When I was helping out with a program called "Get Set For Work" for students who left school early due to home life issues, learning difficulties , personality issues etc we took them through a taster course at TAFE where they could do a few weeks of each course like barrista, landscaping, welding, mechanics, carpentry. They could then choose the course they wished and study for 2 years ( if funding was available) or it was just enough for them to get a job and then learn on the job or have their job fund their learning. Many found a job though this course because it was fun and informative and took out the fear that they were too inadequate to get the job. Was told also you could do one year of TAFE in your chosen study then go straight to 2nd year of university the next year.

My daughter did her first animal studies course for free. I don't know about other states but this is something we have in QLD if you are under 25. Her second course on wild animals that she is just finishing would have been 11K but we shaved off quite a few thousand due to her already having covered a number of the units in the first. I should have said she did these courses through TAFE.

I can see Ryan as an airconditioning technician. 😂

I’m 45 and just started a TAFE education. I was eligible so I get it for free. It’s fantastic because most of the teachers are retired workers in the field you are studying for. I also went to uni when I was 18 and have a degree which really didn’t give me the experience I needed. So for me it’s a great way to change your career practically.

I have both TAFE and Uni qualifications (under and post grad). I only paid for Uni, and at times I could use relevant TAFE qualifications as a subject credit at Uni. My daughter has a traineeship so is studying for a Diploma (free) while working. I also have taught at a TAFE. Love the system.

During the Pandemic Tafe Was Allowing free courses for industries that were keen to get new workers. I did a 1 year course that would have been 1k and got it for free. It really is about building skill set for university level degrees.

I did TAFE , it was great, once a week with a full time job. Cost nothing as it was all paid for from my employer. Received my credentials and sorted me out for a few years. Now I run my own successful business bringing in 200k a year. So uni isn’t necessary to be successful

I got my horticulture certificate and commercial cookery and hospitality cert and I'm pretty sure I was exempt from paying somehow. Plus, my dad was a Tafe manager and I was bitten by two snakes in two weeks (being an idiot) so he also squeezed me into a snake handling course and senior first aid cert as soon as I got out of hospital 🤣 Tafe🤘

Its a training institution to help you get skills and qualifications i did Horticulture at TAFE it was great i even worked in the Horticulture centre for 6 years with a non for prifit organisation that was operating in there

I have a doctorate and a master’s degree and taught in universities for 40 years. After doing occasional TAFE courses through the years (motor car maintenance etc) I enrolled in an advanced diploma course through TAFE upon retirement. Almost everyone else in my classes was just out of high school age. The TAFE system was brilliant. I did more hard thinking over my TAFE course than I had in years at uni. Assessment was frequent, but not graded (no marks - just show that you could do what was asked) and opportunities to repeat an assessment task until you could do it. Because there were no marks there was very little direct competition between students and cooperation became the default mode of operation. I finished wishing I could return an implement some of what I had learned about teaching in my university setting

ALMOST everything man-made in Australia is on the coast. Half of Australia lives in 2 cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Having said that, TAFE is in most major regional centres. Back in the "olden days", TAFE students started at 15-16 yrs old, whilst still living home with mum and dad.

TAFE is basically a training & education system in Australia that help teach you skills & qualifications, offers a wide range of different courses across many different industries and the fees really depends on which course you apply to. Some courses are much cheaper than others, it also depends on the qualification you apply for, whether it's for certificate I (which is entry level), II or III or diploma which is the most advanced level. Each industry course has different levels of qualifications you can apply for. A friend of mine applied for a cert III course in Makeup at TAFE many years ago and at that time the full course only cost AU$700-800 for a 1 year course. So the costs differ drastically depending on the different industry course and level of qualification, some courses are very cheap while others are more expensive,. And the courses also vary in duration, some courses only last for 1 year, while others last for 2 or more years, so that also factors into the total cost of the course. So there is no fixed fee to study at TAFE, the cost depends on alot of different factors. There are many different TAFE campuses all across Australia. I think you need to do more research into TAFE, because that video does not really explain in depth what TAFE is and the whole TAFE education system and how it works.

Tafe is also great as it allows mature aged students so people coming into the workforce after long breaks ie single mums raising their kids, they can go at any age. I have done science and biotechnology at tafe and we had me in my 30s, people up to 70 in class, learning something new, or upskilling etc.

There called preapps pre apprenticeship my son didn't know what he wanted to do so he did pre-apps in mechanics, metal engineering and construction. He chose wall and ceiling fixing as a career.

TAFE is free in Victoria Australia. It is fantastic. Tradies , plumbers, sparkies etc can be high earners. My niece did a secretarial course at TAFE, 25 years later she is a Personal assistant to a CEO of a major supermarket.

I left school at 15 and started TAFE at 45 part time while working full time. It took 5 years part time to do a 3 year course in Management Accounting and I ended up as CFO of the company.

My son lectures at a TAFE and all his lessons are digitally on line. A lot of subjects can be taught remotely like computer programming etc. Covid restrictions had a lot to do with starting this trend.

TAFE stands for Technical and Further Education

Look up the suburb of Ultimo on a map of Sydney. It is just at the end of the Sydney CBD, near Central Station. It is not near a beach but is midway between Blackwattle Bay and an inlet of Sydney Harbour at Pyrmont.

Some courses are fee-free however a lot are pay upfront

I was a storeman at a TAFE for several years. Our TAFE was huge and offered a bunch of courses; Automotive Engineering, Beautician courses, Carpentry, Computer courses, Fitting/Machining, Hairstyling, Higher School Certificate, Office Admin, Plumbing, School Certificate, Shopfitting, Spray Painting, Tyre Servicing, and a bunch of other stuff.

I also just recently finished up working with apprentices at TAFE here in WA for 15 years, and value the TAFE system we have here tremendously. I've been surprised at the cost of most educational tech programs/quals in America....very expensive, which is a shame. We value our tradies!

Ryan - "digital" just means that rather than in-person training on a campus, you can do remote learning, such as do a course in nursing whilst still working as a personal care attendant at a carehome.... or train as a paramedic whilst working as a first-aider. (EMT).

I achieved a Diploma in Management And Leadership at TAFE. Not only did I learn a great deal, it was also a specific qualification on my resume that indicated a useful skill set in job interviews that most other candidates didn’t have. Many of the teachers had daytime jobs in the specific field and could provide real-world insights into workplace situations, economic trends, and private sector factors.

Many high schools in NSW, I can't speak for other states, I taught in NSW, offer a flexible approach to years 11 and 12. One stream offers a course aimed at gaining qualifications for University entry, the other is provided an option for students who wish to have career paths that do not require a Uni degree. Students can actually start a TAFE course while in the final years of high school. These are called TVet courses. Students will attend a local TAFE one day a week, as well as participating in a work experience block. Some high schools will offer inhouse Vet courses, hospitality, childcare etc and students will leave high school with a certificate 1. Generally the system attempts to cater for all options for the students.

At 30, I did a short (free) course at college called New Opportunities for Women (NOW) which did give us a taste of a few things...computing, art, creative writing, and guest speakers from areas like politics and forensic science. The aim was to give mums an idea of what to do to get into the workforce. I decided to finish Year 11 and 12 (free) at adult college and go to university, which I did. NOW was a great idea..not sure if they still run it.

My two grandsons did pre apprenticeships at TAFE while in high school, as boilermakers. Before leaving school the apprenticeship board went to the high school to see the boys, they got apprenticeships straight away, and completed their apprenticeships . So proud of them as they both have high paying jobs. In my thirties I applied to TAFE in the art and design course specialising in ceramics. What a fantastic course that was. In the eighties it was free, but now I believe it’s quite expensive. But still gives such great opportunities for those who cannot or do not want University.

I majored in English in and graduated in 1970. In 1985 I was the proofreader in one of my city's newspapers until it went to print at midnight. I did a day course at TAFE to brush up on English, and volunteered to be a tutor for a couple of days weekly. A few weeks later, the TAFE professor called me, and said he had a student, saying he thought I was the perfect choice for the task. When I inquired about the person I'd be tutoring, he informed me that it was an Asian male, and he was able to say, 'good morning', 'good evening,' 'yes please,' and 'thank you.' I thought he was kidding, and said as much. He said 'no, seriously, I need you to teach him English, as in the language.'

A large portion of tafe courses change in price based on what the government deems important at the time, such as if we have a shortage of Nurses or Mechanics. And if the course you want to do is not as needed, such as acting, they charge you an arm and a leg. A lot of in demand trades offer the tafe education free, as long as an employer takes you on as an apprentice first.

I did a Certificate 3 in Arts (Window dressing/displays) before I got really sick and then several years later did a course (can't remember the Cert level) in health administration and another in bookkeeping. Handy to have skills on hand

TAFE stands for Technical and Further Education. I went to Tafe in 1990 and Centrelink paid me extra in my "welfare" payment to do it which gave me a better chance at getting a better job. I dropped out of school halfway thru year 10 so it's a good alternative to College and Uni. Going to Tafe is a LOT CHEAPER than the alternatives, and it's not limited to younger people, older people go there too. A lot of courses I've looked at cost around $500 a year but they've probably gone up since I last looked about 5-6yrs ago. No the weather is not always that nice in NSW.

I have attended both TAFE (Technical And Further Education) and University. Hands down, TAFE has always been the better experience. For a while, our NSW Liberal party introduced fees that saw enrolments drop significantly. Fortunately, that situation is changing and many courses are being offered for free. I'm currently doing one of those. A few decades ago TAFE Colleges also introduced degrees and Graduate Certificates and Graduate Diplomas. A graduate certificate in many cases is equivalent to obtaining another "major" without going through an entire degree. Also, those fees you quoted are usually for non residents and for fee only courses. TAFE Digital, offers the same practical opportunities as other campuses offering the same courses.

Spent 20 years teaching my trade in TAFE.

Tafe is a great place to start your further education.

TAFE offers free careers counselling services specifically for students who need that little extra help finding their direction in life 🙂

I completed a diploma in community services after I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and walked from my last placement into a well paid job supporting people with disability. Now I assist them to manage their NDIS plans worth over $200,000 as a specialist support coordinator. Love my job and feel so grateful to help people and get paid for it. Thanks TAFE!

Many people go into TAFE via an apprenticeship and in general your fees are paid by your employer, I have completed 2 TAFE courses, Electrical Mechanic, and Electronics and Communications Certificate. I eventually went to university and obtained a degree in electrical engineering (BE). I would highly recommend that kind of pathway I don't think it was mentioned but TAFE stands for Technical and Further Education.

TAFE was originally trade based learning - tradespeople are now earning significant amounts in Australia.

My son studied plumbing as a part of his high school Higher School Certificate for free, after which he gained an apprenticeship in plumbing/gas fitting with a plumber who paid his TAFE fees. He's been a licenced plumber/gas fitter for about 15 years now. He also has his own business. TAFE offers great pathways into all types of careers. There are also concessions (sometimes totally free) for certain people e.g certain govt benefit holders like carers.

I did Diploma of Fine Arts in commercial photography at the Sydney Institute of Technology in the 1980s. At that time, the SIT was part of the TAFE system but later became the Sydney University of Technology. I worked as a photographer from 1978 until 2007. In 2004-05 I studied Diploma of TESOL through OTEN, TAFE's away learning programme and taught English in SE Asia 2007-2015.

Sydney is the most consistently wet capital city in Australia ave rain of 1500mm 0r 60 inches .Melb by comparison averages just 570mm or 22 inches

I'm 2 minutes in and am Aussie so I'll sum it up. If your interests are like accounting, IT, business, then go university but if your more practice rather than theory then you go to tafe for a trade, from hairdressing to plumbing.

Many TAFE courses are free in industries that have a skills shortage such as building trades, nursing and aged and disability care.

I did a cert IV at TAFE and get over $100,000 per year. My motto is work smarter not harder 😂

From what I gather trades are not high status or well-paid jobs in America. But in Australia a tradesman can easily earn more than most graduates and is regarded highly. The wage system here is regulated and unionised, which results in high wages for employees from minimum wage up. Plus the logical progression in the trades is to owning your own business.

Ultimo was my TAFE college for Automotive Mechanics. 👍

As a teenager I went to TAFE as part of a pastry chef apprenticeship. In my mid 30’s I went to night classes at TAFE and received Diplomas in IT and Business Management.

Sadly, a lot of TAFE campuses outside the major cities have been closed. For would be apprentices and trainees who are too young to drive or can't afford a car, its impossible to get to a TAFE college that is an hour and a half away, or more, especially as there is little regular public transport in rural areas. Online TAFE courses arent an option for skills that require hands on skills and a lot of private online course providers that have replaced TAFE aren't reputable and are very expensive. Some just charge a lot of money to direct you to RU-vid videos or Google. The Federal Government has announced free TAFE places, but that is not much help if you can't get to a TAFE provider.

Despite having two uni degrees I went back to TAFE to learn about organic farming when I was in my late 40s. I did own 30 acres in the Victorian High Country so it really was hands on for me a lot of hard work and fun.

I did two Tafe courses after leaving school at year 10, first was a Cert 2 in Skills for work and training (Yr 11 and Twelve Equivalent), also did my Cert 3 in Hospitality which included barista training and RSA and RCG. All of which was subsidised by the government through centrelink and job providers... really got me started

I’m studying screen and media at tafe for free, I’m also going to do the next screen and media course, which says online $12000 but my teacher said it won’t actually be that much, and when enrolling it came up that I’m eligible to do it free as well which is good. But how much you pay depends on various things.

I have been a uni teacher and a TAFE teacher where I gave lessons in psychology. Now psychology is fully online at TAFE whereas in my time it was in a lecture room. The difference was that uni provided a lot of information on theories, research etc etc whilst the TAFE course I ran gave a smattering of that but was designed to be more practical in its everyday application. This was useful for those working in mental health, industry (eg work relationships, working as a team, communication, conflict resolution, stress management, interviewing for recruitment, marketing, leadership and so on at a very hands-on level).

I have just been enrolled in the Australian Paramedic College and it is fee free because it is funded by BHP and the government. I had to qualify by living in a remote community and pass a literacy test to be accepted but that was it. $15 000 worth of tuition and a bonus for equipment. Tafe is awesome. I am 52 years old, but education is still available for me. I can not express my gratitude for these programs, they are life changing. I can still work at my part time job and study to make my life better.

I started work at 16 years of age, at 29 I started a TAFE course while still working full time doing night classes and finished my Assoc Dip. Three years later in the field I worked in. It was not free, but a lot cheaper than a University course.

I studied practical computer skills at TAFE when I was in my 50's. I learned basic computer operation, Microsoft Word 1 & 2, then went back and learned Microsoft Excel 1 & 2. It helped me so much in the administration position I eventually held. I then went on to learn Access & PowerPoint. I'm not so good at PowerPoint but the I'm functional with the others. All courses were subsidized by the government while I was searching for employment so it wasn't very expensive for me.❤

My nephew went straight into tafe from high school to do a mechanics apprenticeship he works monday tuesday thursday and friday and one Saturday a month every wednesday he goes to tafe to do the course work and he gets a small paycheck because his still technically working every year that pay goes slightly up and your experience. He is so close to being a fully credited mechanic with a pay and everything to go with it im incredibly proud of him

The acronyms are complicated: TAFE - Technical And Further Education. VET - Vocational Education and Training.

Most Australian students don't have the living on campus experience that Americans have. They either go to a University or TAFE close to home, or find what accommodation they can in the city or town in which they are studying. Some Universities have residential colleges but only a tiny number of students live in these, and they tend to be associated with privilege and 'tradition' (i.e. you move into one because your father and grandfather went there).

There are fee-free TAFE courses in a number of fields. When i started my electrical apprenticeship the "college" part of it was done at "Technical College". The fees were paid by my employer. These colleges later became TAFE. Later courses i did were done at TAFEs and paid for by me.

Ryan, I left school at the age of sixteen. By the time I was fourteen I had decided I wanted to be an electrician. I started my apprenticeship which was four years in 1969. M employer paid my TAFE fees provided I passed exams. My TAFE Electrical Trades Course was three years. My apprenticeship was four years. I think that if we failed a year we had to pay our fees for the repeat. Some time after I completed my trades course I returned to TAFE and I completed an Industrial Electronics post trades course. Although my then employer requested the qualification I paid the fees. I am now retired being over seventy years of age but I still regularly use the knowledge I gained through my two courses. TAFE also offered an Engineering Certificate Course which took your knowledge and capabilities closer to that of an engineer with a degree from University. From memory TAFE is an acronym for Technical And Further Education. They don't limit themselve to trade courses. They offer an incredibly wide range of courses across multiple disciplines. TAFE is a state body so they probably vary from state to state. I live in New South Wales, the first and best state.

I have two kids attending NSW TAFE. The courses are free for lots of circumstances. Both of my kids (currently 18 and 16) have done a course last year and a new course this year. Their courses have been completely free. This includes Cert III in Agriculture (both kids), Cert III in Horse Care and a Year 10 Equivalent course. So yes, it's easy to get the courses free. When I did TAFE 30 years ago, I did two courses. One was free and we paid for the other one.

At the 14.50 or so mark, you could feel that a beach was nearby. The TAfE is in the southern outskirts of the main city and the nearest beach to there is probably Bondi which is about 10 km away.

I’m 60 this year and enrolled in my 5th vocational course through TAFE. Hairdressing, Transport and Logistics, Cabinet making, Horticulture, now Aged and Disability Care. Great system.

TAFE is awesome! My daughter started a TAFE course while still in school studying to graduate year 12. She was able to explore different career options & the courses were all timetabled to fit in with her high school curriculum. TAFE is a necessity to provide a skilled workforce.

Enrolled in a Secretarial course in 1979, straight after finishing School Certificate. After many years of varied workplace positions, I Enrolled again in 2005 in a Business Certificate 111 course. Essentially updated version of 1979 Course. Both courses took a year. Each time, the cost was a couple hundred bucks. My TAFE is on the picturesque Mid North Coast NSW.

TAFE teaches How to Learn and once a person is in that mode, they can get a taste for learning. My first TAFE course, in my 30's, was Ceramics, merely a vocational course in a subject that interested me. I had always been a fan of good pottery and wanted to learn how to do it. I got my ceramics certificate. Later I became interested in Computers and went back to TAFE to do a Diploma course in PC Support and Network Support, as I was employed and with a young family I completed that course over 4 years, got my diploma with distinction. I was in my 40's in a class with mostly 20 somethings who were only there for something to do. They may have been supported by Govt funding, I'm not sure but I had to pay my own way. The practical aspect of TAFE is the standout quality of the education. Uni allows people to learn how the theory of setting up a network should work and why itmust by the book. TAFE allows you to get your hands dirty and actually touch the physical components of the network and in my case build computers from scratch. TAFE is more "hands on" combined with theory. A person who is TAFE trained should be able to enter a workplace with practical experience and skills rather than just book-learned knowledge. As was stated in another comment, the conservative parties of our politicians tend to have a negative effect on TAFE and our national broadcaster ABC. Always looking to cut funding to keep us non-rich people in our place. When I was in TAFE the politics wasn't conservative so the cost was relatively low but it soon came under attack when the Govt changed.

My kids did year 11 &12 at TAFE where they also learnt mechanics and plumbing as part of their class work. I attended and did electronics and communication whilst their father studied jewellery manufacture. My middle child did an associate degree in disability at TAFE

I took up a trade, already had a place for my apprenticeship and got trained through TAFE. Business paid for the 3 year course, they got most of their money returned to them over my three years at TAFE. (One week at TAFE each month) and I got $5000 tool allowance to get my started. I enjoyed my campus a lot because it turns out it wasn’t only for people studying a trade but for people (women) studying modelling, who knew it was more than just looks. It was an interesting combination.