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Technical and further education

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For the similar concept in the United Kingdom and Ireland, seeFurther education.For the similar concept in the United States and Canada, seeContinuing education.For a related but different category of educational institution in various countries, seeInstitute of Technology.
"TAFE" redirects here. For the Indian manufacturing company, seeTractors and Farm Equipment Limited.

Technical and further educationor simplyTAFE(/ˈteɪf/) is the common name inAustraliaforvocational education,as a subset oftertiary education.TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational courses. Colloquially also known as "Tech".

Individual TAFE institutions (usually with numerous campuses) are known as either colleges or institutes, depending on the state or territory.

InAustralia,where the term TAFE originated, institutions usually host qualifying courses, under theNational Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/VET Quality Framework. Fields covered include business, finance, hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, visual arts, information technology and community work. TAFE colleges are owned, operated and financed by the variousstate/territorygovernments.

Qualifications awarded by TAFE colleges

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TAFE colleges award Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications accredited in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector that align to Certificate I, Certificate II, Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma qualifications.[1]In many instances, TAFE study at a Diploma or above level can be used as partial credit towards bachelor's degree-level university programs.[citation needed]

From 2002 the TAFE education sector has been able to offer bachelor's degrees and post-graduate diploma courses to fill niche areas, particularly vocationally focused areas of study based on industry needs. As of June 2009, ten TAFE colleges (mainly in New South Wales[2]and Victoria, but also Western Australia, ACT, and Queensland) now confer their own degree-level awards and post graduate diplomas, though initially not beyond the level of bachelor's degree. HoweverMelbourne Polytechnicwas accredited in 2015 to offer two master's degree courses.[3]Similarly, some universities (e.g.,Charles Darwin UniversityandRoyal Melbourne Institute of Technology) offer vocational education courses (traditionally the domain of TAFE); these are funded by the local state and territory governments. Some high schools also deliver courses developed and accredited by TAFEs.[4][5]

Students who enrol in these undergraduate degree courses at TAFE are required to pay full fees and are not entitled toCommonwealth Government supported student fee loans,known as HECS loans, but may access a FEE-HELP loan scheme.[6]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).[4]

TAFEs in some states can also teach senior high school qualifications, like theVictorian Certificate of Education,Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning,and theHigher School Certificate.Some universities, e.g.Charles Darwin UniversityandRoyal Melbourne Institute 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 othervocational education and trainingcourses. 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.

TAFE colleges by state/territory

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In most cases, TAFE campuses are grouped into TAFE institutions orinstitutesalong 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 they service the whole state or territory. For example, theTrade and Technician Skills Institutein Brisbane, from 1 July 2006, has specialised in automotive, building and construction, manufacturing and engineering, and electrical/electronic studies for students throughout Queensland and theWilliam Angliss Institute of TAFEin Melbourne has specialised in food, hospitality and tourism courses for Victoria.

Australian Capital Territory

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In theAustralian Capital Territory,these include:

New South Wales

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There were tenTAFE NSWInstitutes inNSW,which have since been joined into a state-wide service.OTENorTAFE Digitalis TAFE's online offering.

Northern Territory

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In theNorthern Territory,these include:

Queensland

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InQueensland,TAFE Queenslandincludes:

As of May 2014, the TAFE institutes have amalgamated into six regions of the central TAFE Queensland (parent body). The regions of TAFE Queensland are:[7]

  • Brisbane (formerly Brisbane North Institute of TAFE, Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE and Southbank Institute of Technology)
  • Gold Coast (formerly Gold Coast Institute of TAFE)
  • East Coast (formerly Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE and Wide Bay Institute of TAFE)
  • South West (formerly Bremer Institute of TAFE and Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE)
  • North (formerly Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE, Mount Isa Institute of TAFE and Tropical North Queensland TAFE)
  • SkillsTech(formerly SkillsTech Australia)

And as of the 1 July 2014, Central Queensland TAFE (branded as CQ TAFE) was merged intoCentral Queensland University(branded as CQUniversity) to create Queensland's first dual sector university.

South Australia

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InSouth Australia:

Tasmania

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InTasmania,there are two government TAFE organisations:

Victoria

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InVictoriathese include:

Western Australia

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North Metropolitan TAFE Perth campus

InWestern Australia,this includes:

See also

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References

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  1. ^"About the AQF Register".Archived fromthe originalon 4 July 2015.Retrieved17 July2015.
  2. ^"TAFE NSW Higher Education".
  3. ^Melbourne Polytechnic Annual Report p. 22
  4. ^ab"TAFE gears up to offer degrees"by Rebecca Scott,The Age,24 July 2002. Accessed 3 August 2008.
  5. ^Leesa Wheelahan, Gavin Moodie,Stephen Billettand Ann Kelly,Higher education in TAFEArchived15 May 2013 at theWayback Machine,research report published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 3 September 2009. Accessed 24 September 2009.
  6. ^See Department of Education, Employment, and Workplace Relations,Full Fees and FEE-HELP(Archived2 February 2010 at theWayback Machine), goingtouni.gov.au website. Accessed 19 September 2011.
  7. ^"TAFE Queensland".Retrieved26 April2014.
  8. ^"Campus Locations".Archived fromthe originalon 5 January 2006.Retrieved20 November2005.
  9. ^"Drysdale".Archived fromthe originalon 24 October 2005.Retrieved20 November2005.
  10. ^"North Metropolitan TAFE -".Retrieved14 December2016.
  11. ^"South Metropolitan TAFE - More courses, more qualifications, more places to learn".Retrieved14 December2016.
  12. ^"Central Regional TAFE -".Retrieved14 December2016.
  13. ^"South Regional TAFE -".Retrieved14 December2016.
  14. ^"North Regional TAFE -".Retrieved14 December2016.
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State and territory TAFE websites

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Victorian Association of TAFE Libraries

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Vocational education and training (VET)

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TAFE union sites

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TAFE course comparison sites

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