- Cook Government investment in training
supporting thousands of WA TAFE students
- High demand for fee-free TAFE courses continues
in 2024, with more than 130 fee-free qualifications and skill sets available
- Health and care sector qualifications among the
most popular fee-free courses
- Almost 39,500 fee-free course enrolments
recorded in 2023
The Cook Government's investment in fee-free TAFE training is supporting
thousands of Western Australian students to kick off their training in 2024 and
prepare for skilled jobs in priority sectors.
Enrolments for 2024 are
still being finalised, however there have been a record number of applications
to study fee-free courses in 2024 - a 29 per cent increase on applications
compared to this time last year. There has also been a 25 per cent increase in
applications for TAFE courses overall.
Health care and social
assistance qualifications continue to attract strong interest among fee-free
courses into 2024, after recording some of the biggest enrolment increases in
2023.
Health and care sector
qualifications made up seven out of the top ten fee-free full qualifications,
with the strongest enrolment growth in 2023, compared to the previous year:
- Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and
Care – 4,199 enrolments (up by 1,064 enrolments);
- Certificate III in Individual Support – 4,450
enrolments (up by 693 enrolments);
- Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance –
994 enrolments (up by 610 enrolments);
- Diploma of Nursing – 2,426 enrolments (up by 514
enrolments);
- Certificate IV in School Based Education
Support/Certificate IV in Education Support – 1,141 enrolments (up by 387
enrolments);
- Certificate IV in Mental Health – 965 enrolments
(up by 291 enrolments); and
- Certificate IV in Community Services – 896
enrolments (up by 192 enrolments).
Other courses in the top ten
for enrolment growth last year include:
- Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety (up by
839 enrolments);
- Certificate IV in Information
Technology/Certificate IV in Information Technology Networking (up by 473
enrolments); and
- Certificate III in Commercial Cookery (up 239
enrolments).
Last year, there were
almost 39,500 enrolments in fee-free TAFE courses and skill sets in
WA, with the Cook
Government funding additional places under its landmark partnership with the Federal
Government to keep pace with demand. Targeted at boosting skills development in
priority areas, the availability of fee-free courses in WA drove a 32.7 per
cent increase in enrolments between 2022 and last year.
The Commonwealth and State
Governments have now extended the agreement to deliver fee-free training until
the end of 2026.
Running in parallel with the
fee-free program, the Cook Government's 'Lower fees, local skills' initiative
attracted almost 60,000 enrolments in low-fee courses in 2023. The State
Government continues to provide 160 heavily discounted high-priority courses
through this program in 2024.
The Cook Government is
also driving the largest TAFE capital works program in WA's history, with 14
projects underway to upgrade essential infrastructure at TAFE colleges across
the State thanks to a $243.3 million investment.
A further $25 million has
been invested in modernising equipment at TAFEs across WA to ensure students
have the opportunity to learn on modern industry-standard equipment, and are
job-ready when they enter the workforce.
Comments attributed to Premier Roger Cook:
"My Government is focused
on creating jobs and opportunities for Western Australians, and supporting them
to benefit from our State's strong economic position.
"Making training
affordable and accessible for all is key to ensuring we have the skilled
workforce we need.
"Our free and low-fee
TAFE courses are targeted at industries that we know require workers, and students
will be able to get employment in.
"They have been a huge
success – for local workers and industries alike – and it is fantastic to see
enrolments surging for in-demand fields like nursing, early childhood
education, school-based education support and mental health."
Comments attributed to Training and
Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk:
"Training has the
power to change people's lives – our vocational training sector is here to help
all Western Australians get ahead by gaining the skills they need to land jobs.
"The Cook Government is
committed to reducing barriers to training through our fee-free and low-cost
initiatives, and it's exciting to see the demand for these courses is
continuing to grow, particularly in the health and care sectors.
"Through our record
investment to deliver new and upgraded state-of-the-art facilities at TAFE
campuses across WA, we're also ensuring students have access to high-quality
and industry-relevant training that gets them 'job ready' for the workplace."
Comments attributed to Health Minister
Amber-Jade Sanderson:
"It's
fantastic to see an increase of students enrolling in the Diploma of Nursing,
as we expect WA will need 4,300 more nurses and midwives by 2033.
"Making
training affordable to all Western Australians will help alleviate workforce
pressures along with $28.5 million of new attraction and retention initiatives
announced in last year's State Budget.
"We
look forward to welcoming these future nurses into our WA public health
system."
