Free TAFE underway in Victoria to boost ECEC career pathways

Victorian Minister for Training and Skills and Higher Education Gayle Tierney visited Holmesglen Institute’s Glen Waverley campus last week to officially launch the start of the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care courses, which have been added to the Free TAFE course list from this year.

The Free TAFE initiative is designed to reduce the financial barrier for students wanting to train in courses that lead to jobs in demand from Victorian employers. Increased demand for early childhood educators within the Victorian early childhood sector comes as a result of the roll out of the Victorian Government’s $5 billion investment to provide universal Three-Year-Old Kinder over a decade.

The reform to Universal Access is expected to create more than 6,000 new early childhood teaching jobs, including 2,000 VET-qualified educators and 4,000 degree-qualified teachers by 2029.

Both courses will now be delivered tuition-fee-free for eligible students, thanks to a $28.5 million investment from the Victorian Government.The initiative has been an “incredible success” thus far, a spokesperson said, noting the more than 39,000 students who have enrolled in Free TAFE thus far.

To learn more about the Free TAFE initiative, please see here.