AEU report demonstrates benefits of Federal Government’s Free TAFE program

The Australian Education Union (AEU) has released a report about the Federal Government’s Free TAFE program, confirming the significant benefits of the initiative for a variety of sectors, fields and industries, including early childhood education and care (ECEC).

Key findings of the Unlocking the full potential of TAFE report include:

• Free TAFE is providing pathways for individuals, and particularly those for whom vocational education is a barrier to further study
• TAFE is providing access to priority cohorts in greater numbers compared to private RTOs
• TAFE is addressing critical skills shortages in areas of need
• Women make up close to 60 per cent of the Free TAFE student cohort, compared to around 50  per cent in the overall body of VET students
• TAFE program completers are more likely to represent the bottom two quintiles for socio-economic disadvantage when compared to students of private VET providers
• 56 per cent of parents would encourage their child to explore TAFE as a pathway, whereas only 29  per cent said the same about private registered training organisations
• TAFE and universities share similar outcomes for employment, with 78 per cent of TAFE students and 79  per cent of university students finding employment after study
• Among VET graduates who received income support prior to study, 39  per cent are no longer on income support two years after completion

From January 2023 to September 2024, there were nearly 600,000 enrolments in Free TAFE, including:

• More than 150,000 enrolments in the Care sector
• More than 54,000 enrolments in the Technology and Digital sectors
• More than 40,000 enrolments in the Early childhood Education and Care sector
• More than 39,000 enrolments in the Construction sector
• More than 22,000 enrolments in the Agriculture sector

The report, AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe said, highlights how Free TAFE has been life-changing for students and teachers, calling for Parliament to pass the Free TAFE Bill (2024) in this week’s Senate sitting.

“The Free TAFE program has changed lives, worked towards addressing skills shortages, and provided significant benefits to our economy,” Ms Haythorpe said.

“Passing the Free TAFE legislation is crucial for the survival of the program.”

Access the report here.