Media releases

Federation TAFE has welcomed the Victorian Government’s announcement to expand the Free TAFE initiative, with new courses to be added in 2022.

Almost 2,500 students have studied Free TAFE courses at Federation TAFE since the initiative began in 2019.

Federation TAFE currently offers 31 Free TAFE courses.

Under the expansion of the initiative announced today, the Certificate III in Information Technology and Certificate IV in Training and Assessment will move from fee-paying to free for eligible students in 2022.

The Free TAFE initiative provides students with the opportunity to gain qualifications in areas where there is a skills shortage and strong growth in jobs.

Federation TAFE student, Krista Hodges, recently completed a Certificate IV in Community Services through the Free TAFE initiative and is now working in this growing sector.

The 25-year-old was a carer for her mother before starting the course, which prompted her to obtain a formal qualification for a career in care support.

Since completing her course, Krista has been working in residential care at Berry Street in Ballarat, caring for vulnerable youth. She describes her role as special and feels like she is making an impact on the children’s lives.

Krista worked in various jobs after secondary school and took the opportunity to study for free, describing the experience as altering her perception of learning and reminding her that it is fun to learn.

Krista is also planning on doing further study with Federation University in the future to continue progressing her career.

For more information about studying with Federation TAFE visit here on our website.

Quotes attributable to Federation University Pro Vice-Chancellor (Vocational Education and Training) and CEO TAFE, Liam Sloan

“The Free TAFE initiative gives more people the opportunity to study courses that lead to good jobs in some of our fastest growing industries.”

“TAFE is an excellent choice for anyone wanting to gain real industry experience to enter the workforce, these additional Free TAFE courses will help more students gain job-ready training.”

Quotes attributable to Federation TAFE graduate, Krista Hodges

“It worked out perfectly as I ended up getting a job at the end of study. Free TAFE helped out heaps, I didn’t have to pay anything.”

“The teacher I had was incredible and had great life experience and experience in the field, it gave us a glimpse of what the job would be like, which set me up really well to work in the industry. He was just one of those people that you will never forget.”

“There was such a range of people in the course, from school leavers to mature learners, which shows that any stage of their life that the free course can get you back into study.”