Free TAFE Courses Victoria

While this proposal can save you thousands of dollars on courses that can be priced as high as $10,000; there will still be some minor costs involved. Students will still need to pay for any additional course materials or resources, including textbooks and required equipment. These costs, however, are very minor in comparison to the savings that thousands of Victorians will make under this proposal. Usually, students need to pay up front for courses they wish to complete at TAFE, unless the course is eligible for the Student Loans funding.

There is one important consideration if you want to take part in a free TAFE course: it only applies for Australian residents. Unfortunately, international students looking to study in Victoria will still need to pay the full fees. Apart form that, there’s virtually no other catches. The Victorian Government have tried to make this as easy for Australians to have access to quality education, and in such a bold move; its definitely one that thousands are going to try and make the most of.

The changes to the TAFE system in Victoria aren’t set to take place until the start of 2019, so for now, enrolments will still have fees as normal. Some TAFE providers in Victoria may start taking enrolments for 2019, but this will be based on the individual provider. For those looking to make the most of the free courses, the application process is no different from normal. The course has to be on the approved free TAFE list, and from a TAFE Registered Training Organisation; which there’s plenty of in Victoria. If you want to see the full list of Victorian TAFE Institutes, view them here.

While you may want to take part in more than one free TAFE courses, there is a limit. A student in Victoria can only undertake one subsidised course.

They must also fulfil the following criteria:

Must be aged under 20 or looking to upskill (despite any other completed qualifications held)

Must be aged 20 or older and looking to enrol in a course that is of a higher qualification than one that is already held by the student

Victorians who are in need of additional support

It’s long been discussed that there’s serious financial difficulties for students looking to study at TAFE, with most courses needing to be paid up-front and only a selected amount available for Student Loans. The ‘Free TAFE for Priority Courses’ will help lessen the financial barriers for students looking to study in areas that government have deemed as ‘High Priority’ for future growth. One of the main factors behind this, was the findings in the Victorian Skills Commissioner’s Apprenticeship and Traineeship Report, which highlighted how important these programs are for the future. Other high growth industries, including community services, aged care assistance and allied health.