In Australia, technical and further education or TAFE (/ˈteɪf/) 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. Fields covered include business, finance, hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, visual arts, information technology and community work.
Individual TAFE institutions (usually with numerous campuses) are known as either colleges or institutes, depending on the state or territory. TAFE colleges are owned, operated and financed by the various state and territory governments. This is in contrast to the university sector, whose funding is predominantly the domain of the federal government and whose universities are predominantly owned by the state governments.
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Qualifications awarded by TAFE colleges
TAFE colleges award Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications accredited in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector that align to Certificate I, Certificate II, Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma qualifications.[1] In many instances TAFE study can be used as partial credit towards Bachelor degree-level university programs.
From 2002 the TAFE education sector has been able to offer Bachelor degrees and post-graduate diploma courses to fill niche areas, particularly vocationally focused areas of study based on industry needs. As at June 2009 10 TAFE colleges (mainly in New South Wales,[2] Victoria, but also Western Australia, ACT, and Queensland) now confer their own degree-level awards and post graduate diplomas, though initially not beyond the level of Bachelor degree. However Melbourne Polytechnic has been accredited in 2015 to offer two Masters degree courses.[3] Similarly, some universities, e.g. Charles Darwin University and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, offer vocational education courses (traditionally the domain of TAFE); these are funded by the local state and territory governments. Some high schools also deliver courses developed and accredited by TAFEs.[4][5]
Students who enrol in these undergraduate degree courses at TAFE are required to pay full fees and are not entitled to Commonwealth Government supported student fee loans, known as HECS loans, but may access a FEE-HELP loan scheme.[6] While Universities have the ability and power to design and offer their own degree courses, each TAFE degree course must be assessed and approved by the Higher Education Accreditation Committee (HEAC).[4]
TAFEs in some states can also teach senior high school qualifications, like the VCE, Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning, and the Higher School Certificate. Some universities, e.g. Charles Darwin University and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, offer TAFE courses; these are funded by the local state and territory governments. Some high schools also deliver courses developed and accredited by TAFEs.
Some private institutions also offer courses from TAFEs, however they more commonly offer other vocational education and training courses. Many Australians refer to all sub-degree courses as "TAFE" courses, no matter what institution creates or delivers the course. Before the 1990s, the TAFEs had a near monopoly in the sector. TAFE courses provide students an opportunity for certificate, diploma, and advanced diploma qualifications in a wide range of areas.
TAFE colleges by state/territory
In most cases, TAFE campuses are grouped into TAFE institutions along geographic lines. Most TAFEs are given a locally recognised region of the country where they exclusively operate covering a wide range of subjects.
A few TAFEs specialise in a single area of study. These are usually found near the middle of the capital cities, and service the whole state or territory. For example, the Trade and Technician Skills Institute in Brisbane, (from 1 July 2006), specialises in automotive, building and construction, manufacturing and engineering, and electrical/electronic studies for students throughout Queensland. Or the William Angliss Institute of TAFE in Melbourne which specialises in food, hospitality and tourism courses for Victoria.
Australian Capital Territory
In the Australian Capital Territory these include:
New South Wales
There are ten TAFE NSW Institutes in NSW which include:
- Hunter Institute
- Illawarra Institute
- New England Institute
- North Coast Institute
- Northern Sydney Institute
- Riverina Institute
- South Western Sydney Institute
- Sydney Institute
- Western Institute
- Western Sydney Institute, including OTEN
Northern Territory
In the Northern Territory these include:
Queensland
In Queensland, TAFE Queensland includes:
As of May 2014, the TAFE institutes have amalgamated into six regions of the central TAFE Queensland (parent body). The regions of TAFE Queensland are:[7]
- Brisbane (formerly Brisbane North Institute of TAFE, Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE and Southbank Institute of Technology)
- Gold Coast (formerly Gold Coast Institute of TAFE)
- East Coast (formerly Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE and Wide Bay Institute of TAFE)
- South West (formerly Bremer Institute of TAFE and Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE)
- North (formerly Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE, Mount Isa Institute of TAFE and Tropical North Queensland TAFE)
- SkillsTech (formerly SkillsTech Australia)
South Australia
In South Australia:
Tasmania
In Tasmania, there are two government TAFE organisations:
- TAFE Tasmania includes:
- Institute of TAFE Tasmania (general)[8]
- Drysdale Institute (for tourism and hospitality)[9]
- Australian Maritime College TAFE (maritime studies)
Victoria
In Victoria these include:
- Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE (Local: Bendigo-Echuca)
- Box Hill Institute of TAFE (Local: Eastern Melbourne, Specialist: Short courses)
- Chisholm Institute (Local: South East Melbourne)
- East Gippsland Institute of TAFE (Local: East Gippsland)
- Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE (Local: West and South Gippsland, Specialist: High-voltage electrical)
- Gordon Institute of TAFE (Local: Geelong)
- Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE (Local: North East Victoria)
- Holmesglen Institute of TAFE (Local: Eastern Melbourne)
- Kangan Institute (Local: North West Melbourne, Specialist: Automotive, Fashion)
- Melbourne Polytechnic (Local: Northern and inner East Melbourne, Specialist: Equine, Aquaculture, Agriculture, Viticulture, Music)
- RMIT University (Specialist: Various)
- South West Institute of TAFE (Local: Western District)
- Sunraysia Institute of TAFE (Local: North West Victoria)
- Swinburne University of Technology (Local: Eastern Melbourne)
- University of Ballarat (Local: Ballarat-Wimmera)
- Victoria University (Local: Western Melbourne)
- William Angliss Institute of TAFE (Specialist: Hospitality)
- Wodonga Institute of TAFE (Local: Wodonga, Specialist: Driving)
- The University of Melbourne discontinued its TAFE arm (which specialised in agriculture and forestry) at the start of 2007.
Western Australia
In Western Australia, this includes:
- Central Institute of Technology (Formerly Central TAFE)
- Challenger Institute of Technology (Formerly Challenger TAFE)
- Polytechnic West (Formerly Swan TAFE)
- West Coast Institute of Training (Formerly West Coast TAFE)
- Durack Institute of Technology[10]
- C. Y. O'Connor College of TAFE
- Great Southern TAFE
- Kimberley TAFE
- Pilbara Institute (Formerly Pilbara TAFE)[11]
- South West Institute of Technology (Formerly South West Regional College of TAFE)
- Goldfields Institute of Technology [12] (Formerly Curtin Vocational Training and Education Centre) (Curtin VTEC) at Curtin University of Technology
See also
- Education in Australia
- Further education
- Registered Training Organisations
- Vocational education
- Category:TAFE
References
- ^ http://www.aqf.edu.au/register/about/
- ^ "TAFE NSW Higher Education",http://www.highered.tafensw.edu.au/, TAFE NSW Higher Education Website
- ^ Melbourne Polytechnic Annual Report pp22
- ^ a b TAFE gears up to offer degrees By Rebecca Scott, The Age 24 July 2002. Accessed 3 August 2008
- ^ Leesa Wheelahan, Gavin Moodie, Stephen Billett and Ann Kelly, Higher education in TAFE, Research report published by National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 3 September 2009. Accessed 24 September 2009
- ^ See Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations, Full Fees and FEE-HELP, goingtouni.gov.au website. Accessed 19 September 2011
- ^ "TAFE Queensland". Retrieved 2014-04-26.
- ^ http://www.tafe.tas.edu.au/institute/campuses.htm
- ^ http://www.tafe.tas.edu.au/TAFEAPP.ASP?WCI=SigList&id=11
- ^ http://www.durack.edu.au/Pages/Home.aspx Durack Institute of Technology
- ^ http://www.pilbara.wa.edu.au/
- ^ http://www.goldfields.wa.edu.au/
External links
State and territory TAFE websites
Victorian Association of TAFE Libraries
Vocational education and training (VET)
- Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST)
- National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)
- Australian Flexible Learning Framework (FLX)
- National Association of TAFE Managers – (AUSTAFE Inc.)
- National Training Information Service (NTIS – database of VET providers and qualifications)
Career guidance
- Australian Government myfuture portal: career guide Registration required
- Training Advisor- Career & TAFE Course Advice Free to Individuals & Businesses