Enhance your vocation with a TAFE or a VET program

    Friday, 7 August 2020



    A combination of affordable courses and technical key skills are offered through many courses in Australian universities. Check out everything you need to know.

    TAFE means Technical and Further Education, which refers to vocational courses in different fields like business, engineering, visual arts and technology. Several educational organizations and universities of Australia offer these courses. 

    TAFE programs are provided by colleges, in which you can earn a Certificate I, Certificate II, Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma. They can be concentrated in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) area.

    TAFE institutions also are entitled to offer bachelor’s degrees and graduate diplomas in various fields related to what the industry is demanding. 

    TAFE Institutions vs Universities: Differences and Similarities

    Both TAFE institutions and universities offers these programs. However, there are several differences between them: 

    1. While universities depend financially on the federal government and are owned by state governments, TAFE institutions may be owned, financed and operated by states and territory governments. 
    2. Australian Universities can design their own program structures following their values and missions. On the other hand, TAFE programs require an approval from the Higher Education Accreditation Committee (HEAC) to offer them. 
    3. Students who take TAFE courses have to pay full fees, as they are not eligible for HECS loans as universities’ students. But they are able to access the FEE-HELP loan. 

    Universities in Australia offering VET courses

    Even though all vocational courses are referred as TAFE, most private universities offer VET courses, such as La Trobe University, Torrens University, James Cook University and the University of Southern Queensland

    Several public universities like Charles Darwin University and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology offer TAFE courses. 

    Check out our website and this universities to find in detail what they offer from diplomas and bachelor’s degrees to master’s degrees.