Fee-Free TAFE – success story collection
Fee-Free TAFE - success story collection
Through the Fee-Free TAFE Skills Agreement (formerly known as the 12-Month Skills Agreement), the Commonwealth Government has partnered with states and territories to deliver over $1.5 billion funding for 500,000 Fee-Free TAFE and vocational education and training (VET) places across Australia over 2023 to 2026. More information on this agreement can be viewed on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.
With this story collection TDA aims to celebrate the successful implementation of the Fee-Free TAFE program by TDA members and the positive impact on individuals and priority groups benefiting from this initiative. Explore these inspiring stories below and see how Fee-Free TAFE is transforming lives and communities across Australia.
Fee-Free TAFE and CQU help Cimah start a new path into health industry
Cimah Orion-Williamson once dreamed of being a park ranger, but now she’s pursuing a passion for helping people thanks to CQUniversity and the Fee-Free TAFE program.
The Bundaberg woman decided to study a Diploma of Nursing at CQUniversity after trying to find employment in the parks and wildlife sector.
Learning new skills to support children’s development
Jack Kirk is pursuing his interest in working with children by studying the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care at TAFE SA.
“I enjoy being around children and I wanted to get back into studying, so I thought the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, which is a 12-month course, was a good starting point,” he says.
Jack, 21, says his decision to commit to full-time study in the vocational education and training sector was made easier by receiving a fee-free place as part of the State and Federal Government’s Fee Free TAFE initiative.
Kate Reid’s Career Change with FEE Free TAFE
Nursing was a career path Kate Reid always wanted to pursue, but the timing was never right.
The introduction of Free TAFE, combined with the flexible, supportive learning environment at GOTAFE helped Kate make the decision to enrol in the Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121) in 2021.
After a career in the human resources and business management world, Kate knew she wanted to make a difference through Nursing.
CQU and Fee-Free TAFE helps Rebekah care for Barcaldine’s seniors in need
Rebekah Gleeson-Cherry is fulfilling a dream of giving back to Barcaldine’s elderly generation after completing a Certificate III in Individual Support through Fee-Free TAFE at CQUniversity.
Career change leads to a rewarding role in disability support
Dirk, a single dad with two teenage daughters, says Fee Free TAFE was the catalyst for his career change, providing him with the encouragement to “have another go” at formal study.
Cookery course provides new career path for Sok
Fee Free TAFE is giving Sok Tsoutouras the chance to develop new skills and prepare for a career change without putting additional strain on the household budget.
An initiative of the state and federal governments, Fee Free TAFE removes the fees for students undertaking much-needed skills training and is helping to address skills shortages in key industry sectors.
A mother of two, Sok, 38, is pursuing her passion for cooking through a Certificate IV in Kitchen Management at TAFE SA’s Regency Campus.
A single mother-of-five who seized the opportunity Fee-Free TAFE
A pancreatic cancer survivor, Kerryn Griffis is also a single mother-of-five who seized the opportunity Fee-Free TAFE provided to study a Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management to pursue her lifelong passion for conservation.
FEE-FREE TAFE student wins Ramsay’s 2024 Nursing Cadet Student of the Year Award
Laura Feddersen, Diploma of Nursing student at Chisholm Institute of TAFE’s Frankston campus, was chosen from 150 fellow nursing cadets nationwide to win this prestigious award.
Laura was accepted into Ramsay’s cadetship during her FEE FREE TAFE Diploma of Nursing and completed placements at its Beleura Private (Rehab) Hospital, Mitcham Private (Perinatal Mental Health) Hospital and Peninsula Private (Acute) Hospital as part of the program.
She was quickly selected for a graduate position at Ramsay’s Peninsula Private Hospital, only a month after completing her cadetship there.
Fee-Free TAFE helps Tammy reskill as daycare educator
CQUniversity’s childcare training and the Fee-Free TAFE program has helped Tammy Reynolds go back to the classroom and enhance her skills as a primary school teacher.
Tammy, who lives with her family on a farm north of Clermont, was on leave from teaching when she discovered she could still earn and learn as an educator in the childcare sector.
Career change leads to rewarding new role in childcare
With the support of Fee Free TAFE, Bradley Edwards has successfully transitioned his career from retail to early childhood education and care through TAFE SA.
A father of one, Bradley said he had been contemplating a career change since the COVID pandemic and chose the early childhood education and care sector because he was interested in engaging with children and helping them learn.
The “final push” that he needed to enrol in early childhood education and care training was Fee Free TAFE.
Box Hill Institute – Free TAFE student success story
After an extensive career as an Information Technology professional, David found a new purpose as an award-winning horticultural student, thanks to Box Hill Institute (BHI) and Free-TAFE.
