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Technical and Further Education or TAFE institutions are a type of adult education organisation in Australia. They offer a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses. Fields covered include hospitality, tourism, construction, secretarial skills, visual arts, computer programming and community work. Individual TAFE institutions (usually with many campuses) are known as either colleges or institutes, depending on the state or territory. TAFEs are owned, operated and financed by the various State and Territory Governments. This is in contrast to the higher education sector, whose funding is predominantly the domain of the Federal government and whose universities are predominantly owned by the state governments. Qualifications awarded by TAFEs TAFEs generally award qualifications up to the level of advanced diploma, which is below that of Bachelor degree within the Australian Qualifications Framework. In many instances TAFE study can be used as partial credit towards Bachelor degree-level university programs. Some TAFEs (primarily in Victoria and the ACT) now confer their own degree-level awards, though not beyond the level of Bachelor; this practice is somewhat controversial due to the blurring of once clearly defined boundaries between sectors. TAFEs in some states can also teach senior high school qualifications, like the VCE. Some universities, e.g. Charles Darwin University and RMIT University, offer TAFE courses; these are funded by the local state and territory governments. Some High Schools also deliver courses developed and accredited by TAFEs. Some private institutions also offer courses from TAFEs, however they more commonly offer other vocational education and training courses. Note that many Australians consider all sub-degree courses to be "TAFE" courses, no matter what institution creates or delivers the course. Before the 1990's, the TAFEs had a near monopoly in the sector. TAFEs by state/territory In most cases, TAFE campuses are grouped into TAFE institutions along geographic lines. Most TAFEs are given a locally recognised region of the country where they exclusively operate. Most TAFEs institutions cover a wide range of subjects, however a few TAFEs specialise in a single area of study. These are usually found near the middle of the capital cities, and service the whole state or territory. For example, the Trade and Technician Skills Institute (from 1 July 2006), when fully operational will specialise in automotive, building and construction, manufacturing and engineering, and electrical/electronic studies throughout Queensland. New South Wales There are eleven TAFE Institutes in New South Wales which include: Victoria In Victoria these include: Queensland TAFE Queensland include: South Australia In South Australia, TAFE SA includes: Western Australia In Western Australia these include: Tasmania In Tasmania, TAFE Tasmania includes: Australian Capital Territory In the Australian Capital Territory these include: Northern Territory In the Northern Territory these include: See also State and Territory TAFE websites VET Career guidance wuu:TAFE | |||||||
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