WA Fee-Free TAFE initiative boosts ECEC workforce

Enrolments in TAFE in Western Australia are ‘surging’, boosting the workforce numbers in vital sectors and industries such as construction, care and early childhood education.

New data shows 46,476 enrolments by students in Fee-Free TAFE qualifications and skill sets last year, with enrolments up among people with a disability (11 per cent), Aboriginal people (10 per cent), women (9 per cent), and 15-to 24-year-olds (5.4 per cent).

That growth has contributed to an overall increase in publicly funded enrolments, which grew from about 130,000 in 2016 to a new record high of about 165,000 in 2024.

Care sector qualifications (including ECEC) made up the top three fee-free full qualification enrolments in 2024, with Certificate III in Individual Support topping the list with 5,225 enrolments.

The largest percentage growth in enrolments for 2024 was in building and construction, with a massive 263 per cent increase in Certificate IV in Building and Construction enrolments.

As part of its Made in WA plan, the State Government has also committed to invest a further $58 million in new Fee-Free TAFE courses and apprenticeship support for WA’s in-demand building and construction workforce.

Fee-free courses are continuing to prove popular, with early data already showing more than 25,000 enrolments by students this year.

For more information, head to: https://www.jobsandskills.wa.gov.au/skillsready.