Thousands of students across South Australia have been gaining in-demand skills and new qualifications through Fee-Free TAFE over the past two years.
New data revealing the locations of Fee-Free TAFE course enrolments show that students right across the state are benefitting from the life-changing initiative, particularly those in lower socio-economic areas.
It comes as the State Government releases its Fee-Free TAFE snapshot that shows there have been 16,410 Fee-Free TAFE enrolments across the state.
In metropolitan Adelaide, the postcode '5114' has received the highest number of Fee-Free TAFE enrolments with 372 over the past two years, and this includes Smithfield, Blakeview, Andrews Farm and Craigmore.
This was closely followed by the postcode '5108' of Salisbury and Paralowie which has had 356 Fee-Free TAFE enrolments. There has been a total of 2,905 Fee-Free TAFE enrolments from Adelaide's Northern suburbs.
Students from regional South Australia have also benefitted with more than 500 enrolments over the past two years in each of the Yorke and Mid North, Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula, Murraylands and Riverland, and Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu and KI.
The Limestone Coast had just under 500 enrolments with Murray Bridge the highest number of enrolments from regional locations.
Since its introduction, Fee-Free TAFE has saved priority cohort learners more than $37 million in student fees – with students previously unable to access education and training due to financial barriers, taking up the opportunity in droves.
From the period of January to June 2024, there were increases of students participating in vocational education at school, aged 24 years and under, from regional and remote locations; reporting a disability, who identify as Aboriginal; and studying courses at the Certificate III level.
Fee-Free TAFE is breaking down barriers to education and training and making courses more accessible for:
- Low-income students – Over 3,920 low-income learners have saved over $9.08 million in student fees
- Female students – 55 per cent of students participating in Fee-Free TAFE are women
- Regional / rural communities – 3,520 regional students gain access to VET through Fee-Free TAFE
- First Nations students – 193 First Nations students have enrolled in a Fee-Free TAFE course
Courses offered through Fee-Free TAFE directly align with the need for skilled workers including health, technology, construction, major defence projects such as AUKUS, three-year-old preschool, and the Whyalla hydrogen power plant facility.
Popular areas of study include Information Technology, Individual Support (Aged Care), Early Childhood Education and Care, Human and Social Welfare, and Health Administration.
For more information about Fee-Free TAFE courses, visit the TAFE SA website.
As put by Blair Boyer
The true test of Fee-Free TAFE is how many South Australians have enrolled who couldn't afford to attend TAFE if it wasn't free.
The fact that the number one postcode in South Australia for Fee-Free TAFE is 5114, shows this initiative is doing exactly what we need it to do.
We're giving South Australians the skills they need to get the jobs which are there in our economy right now.
This is about breaking down barriers to education and training – including financial barriers.
As put by Zoe Bettison
Fee-Free TAFE has been an absolute game-changer in my community.
It is wonderful to see such a strong uptake of Fee-Free TAFE, especially in the northern suburbs of Adelaide.
I know that for many in my electorate of Ramsay, this initiative removes the barriers to an accessible and quality vocational education, and gives them a fair start in their chosen area.
As a local member, a key focus of mine has been to ensure our community can take advantage of the economic opportunities this State Government is delivering, and Fee-Free TAFE does precisely that.
As put by David Coltman, TAFE SA, Chief Executive
This latest data indicates that Fee-Free TAFE is strongly supporting areas of lower socio-economic status and higher unemployment, providing life changing skills and training opportunities for these priority cohorts.
We're pleased to see many students gaining qualifications in key industry sectors who may otherwise have not been able to study and pursue a new career path.
In some parts of the country, there has been a tendency for TAFE enrolments to go down when the economy is strong and unemployment rates are low, but in South Australia we have a strong economy and we are still seeing demand for our training, which highlights the positive impact of Fee-Free TAFE in our state.
