Four new courses in hospitality, youth work and tourism are now available through the Allan Labor Government’s Free TAFE initiative giving Victorians more opportunities to learn new skills and grow their careers.

Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes is encouraging prospective students to look at courses on offer through the Free TAFE initiative, providing Victorians with more access to vocational training.

Since the program was introduced in 2019 it has grown to include more than 80 TAFE qualifications and short courses.

This has helped more than 156,000 students who have saved almost $423 million in tuition fees since the program began, including more than 90,000 women who have gained new skills to benefit their careers.

Free TAFE is benefiting all Victorians, with a quarter of all Free TAFE students based in regional Victoria and more than 44,500 come from multicultural backgrounds.

With enrolments now open, students can kick start their careers or upskill to gain new experience or qualifications, across a range of sectors like nursing, building and construction, community services and cyber security.

The Free TAFE program is helping Victorians get the skills they need for the job they want, including in growth areas like clean energy, building the state’s future workforce as we transition to net-zero.

The Victorian Government is also backing the development of new clean energy skills and courses through the $50 million Clean Energy Fund, including projects at Federation TAFE in Ballarat, TAFE Gippsland in Morwell and South West TAFE in Warrnambool.

Free TAFE courses are available to all Victorians, regardless of their existing qualification level, and it’s also possible to do more than one Free TAFE course provided it’s within the same priority pathway.

The Victorian Budget 2023/24 invested more than $543 million in TAFE to help more Victorians get the skills they need with more subsidised courses and improved facilities, including funding for new TAFE campuses in Melton and Sunbury so more students can study closer to home.

Victoria’s TAFE network is a vital part of our state’s education system, helping students become job-ready faster and providing the skills we need to grow our economy.

For the full list of Free TAFE courses visit: vic.gov.au/free-tafe

Quote attributable to Member for Northern Victoria Jaclyn Symes

“We know that TAFE is an equal choice to uni- and if you enrol in a Free TAFE course, you can get started in your career without debt.”