HigherEd and TAFE
If you are a student who thinks a traditional academic pathway is not for you, and a degree is not accessible to you, then a higher education degree at a TAFE or dual sector university may be just for you. Coming from a background that may be a bit different, or thinking in a non-academic way, makes your contribution upon graduation even more important because you will be providing a different but valued view.
Initial research undertaken by Australian universities, in collaboration with universities internationally, suggests amongst a range of positive outcomes that:
- Degrees at TAFE are oriented to industry needs and prepare students for employment in specific occupations, often in new areas of para-professional work;
- Degrees at TAFE provide distinctive learning environments built on experiential and practical pedagogies facilitated by small cohorts and small class sizes;
- Students’ reasons for selecting higher education at TAFE stress the student experience and learning style, alongside identifying the relevance of the degree for their chosen field of employment;
- Designers of individual TAFE degrees are able to be highly responsive to the needs of industries and employers; and
- Higher education in non-university providers, such as TAFEs, and in universities are subject to the same quality standards as set by the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency.
You may listen to and view a presentation on the value of Higher Education with a TAFE institute here. Vertical stratification or horizontal differentiation? You be the judge…
TAFE Directors Australia look forward to the final research findings, gathered from the data collection, in the Springer Brief book to be published in early 2021.
Higher Education News

Mining partnership wins industry accolade – TAFE Queensland
An innovative training project delivered by the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance, TAFE Queensland and Central Queensland University (CQUniversity), has been recognised as the Outstanding Training Initiative of the Year as part of the Resources Training Council’s 2021 Innovative Skilling Awards.

TAFE NSW joins universities to train for science and tech jobs
The Western Sydney Aerotropolis Multiversity – a collaboration between four universities and TAFE NSW – has announced its first courses and scholarships for students in the areas of science and technology.
TAFE NSW higher education program's first ever double major graduate

Katherine completed a Bachelor of Applied Commerce (Accounting and Financial Planning) at TAFE NSW to become its higher education program’s first ever double major graduate. As Katherine said “TAFE NSW has prepared me with not only technical skills in accounting and finance but also soft skills in communication, leadership, teamwork, planning and goal setting. I also gained a high level of proficiency in software needed for the job like MYOB for accounting and Xplan for financial planning.” Read more about Katherine’s story and what TAFE NSW’s higher education program offers.