Technical and Further Education or TAFE (pronounced [tæɪf]) institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary educationcourses in Australia, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework. Fields covered include hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, secretarial skills, visual arts, computer programming and community work.
Individual TAFE institutions (usually with many 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 higher education sector, whose funding is predominantly the domain of the Commonwealth government and whose universities are predominantly owned by the state governments.
- Qualifications awarded by TAFE colleges
TAFE colleges generally award qualifications up to the level of advanced diploma, which is below that of Bachelor degree within the Australian Qualifications Framework. 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 Victoria, but also Western Australia, ACT, and Queensland) now confer their own degree-level awards and post graduate diplomas, though not beyond the level of Bachelor degree; this practice is somewhat controversial due to the blurring of once clearly defined boundaries between sectors.[1][2]
Students who enroll in these undergraduate degree courses at TAFE are required to pay full fees and are not entitled to Commonwealth Government supported student fee loans. 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).[1]
TAFEs in some states can also teach senior high school qualifications, like the VCE and the HSC. Some universities, e.g. Charles Darwin University and Swinburne University 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.
Note that 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.
- Links to immigration outcomes
Taking TAFE courses may entitle the trainee to be eligible for the skilled immigration program of Australia [3]. This results in large numbers of international students who have enrolled into TAFE courses for seeking immigration outcomes.
- 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.
- 4 Australian Capital Territory
In the Australian Capital Territory these include:
- 5 New South Wales
There are ten TAFE NSW Institutes in NSW which include:
- 6 Northern Territory
In the Northern Territory these include:
- 7 Queensland
In Queensland, TAFE Queensland includes:
- 8 South Australia
In South Australia, TAFE SA includes:
- 9 Tasmania
In Tasmania, there are two government TAFE organisations:
- 10 Victoria
In Victoria these include:
- 11 Western Australia
In Western Australia TAFEWA includes:
- References
- ^ a b TAFE gears up to offer degrees By Rebecca Scott, The Age July 24 2002. Accessed August 3 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), September 3, 2009. Accessed September 24, 2009
- ^ Skilled migration courses, Queensland Government December 3 2008. Accessed November 9 2009
Source: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
