The Albanese Labor Government has supported almost 150,000 Australians to enrol in Fee-Free TAFE since the start of 2023.

The Commonwealth and State joint Fee-Free TAFE initiative is encouraging a wide-range of applicants including from First Nations’ people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, job seekers, people living with disabilities, women studying in non-traditional fields, and young people.

Federal Member for Robertson, Dr Gordon Reid MP, says the latest data is great news for employers looking for workers and a ringing endorsement of the Albanese Government’s Fee-Free TAFE policy.

“TAFE is an outstanding training institution that provides excellent education in critical skill areas needed to keep the economy going”, Dr Reid said.

“I am pleased to see that recent data is backing the Albanese Government’s commitment to TAFE, and ensuring it is more accessible to greater numbers of people”.

“We are experiencing skill-shortages in several areas of the economy, Fee-Free TAFE allows people to skill-up for these in-demand jobs”, Dr Reid said.

“I am a strong supporter of the TAFE system and will continue to advocate for greater involvement by the Federal Government”.

In NSW, 120,000 people have taken advantage of Fee-Free TAFE.

30 per cent of enrolments have been into courses related to the care sector – an area of high priority.

60 per cent of all enrolments are women.

More than 12,000 students are living with a disability.

Almost 35,000 students are job seekers and almost 25,000 students are from households that speak a language other than English.

In the 2023-24 Federal Budget, the Albanese Labor Government allocated $400 million to contribute an additional 300,000 Fee-Free TAFE and VET places, building on the progress the Federal Government has made so far.

ENDS