TAFE NSW is an Australian vocational education and training provider. Annually, the network trains over 500,000 students in campus, workplace, online, or distance education methods of education. It was established as an independent statutory body under the TAFE Commission Act 1990. The Minister for Regional Development, Skills and Small Business is responsible for TAFE NSW. TAFE NSW awards qualifications as specified in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), and accredited to the Vocational Education and training (VET). Qualifications awarded can also be attributed as partial credit towards bachelor's degree-level studies in universities.

History

TAFE NSW has existed for over 130 years aiming to upskill the workforce of

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. Demand for vocational education suffered during the early years of the Depression until a decision to expand training services was made to help decrease high unemployment rates by the mid 1930s. Growth also occurred in the industry after

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and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in response to the need to support Australia's war effort. It also played a part in transitioning the population back into civilian work post war. The establishment of the Technical and Further Education Commission (TAFEC) alongside Commonwealth funding was a key historic moment – Technical Education then became known as TAFE and was established as its own educational body. Local education needs were then met by the regionalisation of community colleges to allow its expansion across the state.

2012–2015: financial and attendance issues

Between 2012 and 2016 attendance at TAFE NSW campuses dropped by 83,000 students. In the same period, fees had increased substantially. In a bid to curb this reduction in attendance, 2016 fees were frozen at their 2015 level. In September 2015, a leaked document revealed the State government intended to close 27 sites in order to reduce costs and raise funds. On Thursday 16 June 2016, the

NSW Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

announced that the EBS4 student management system for TAFE would be scrapped. NSW Skills Minister,

John Barilaro Giovanni Domenic "John" Barilaro (born 14 November 1971) is a former Australian politician who served as the 18th deputy premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the National Party from 2016 to 2021. He wa ...

has directed TAFE NSW to develop a new system in time for the 2018 peak enrolment period. The EBS4 rollout for TAFE NSW resulted in extensive major problems with enrolments, inability to track student financial data and generate testamurs, and a project budget over run of approximately $100m.

Geographical areas

TAFE NSW comprises 130 campuses grouped by geographic area into ten Institutes: * TAFE NSW Hunter and Central Coast * TAFE NSW Illawarra (including Karoona Gallery) * TAFE NSW New England * TAFE NSW North Coast * TAFE NSW Northern Sydney * TAFE NSW Riverina * TAFE NSW South Western Sydney * TAFE NSW Sydney Metro * TAFE NSW Western Sydney * TAFE NSW Western NSW All TAFE NSW Institutes were united as one "TAFE NSW" registered training organisation from 1 January 2019.

Campuses

Each institute has their own main campus, e.g. Newcastle Campus is the main campus of Hunter Institute. In addition to campuses, TAFE NSW provides specialised study spaces and facilities such as Hair Beauty Academy or the Hunter Valley Hotel Academy. TAFE NSW's online platforms have previously been named OTEN, TAFEnow and TAFE Online. Now known as TAFE Digital, it is Australia's largest online education provider. It offers 250 industry courses across different industries. TAFE NSW offers skills training for companies. Some of the training areas include leadership and management, business and administration, customer service, HR training, ICT, marketing and communications, and compliance.

Eora

TAFE NSW Eora, formerly the Eora Centre for the Visual and Performing Arts and then Eora College, is a campus of NSW Sydney Metro at

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

. located on Abercrombie Street. It has been a centre for contemporary

visual The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (the ...

and

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

and Aboriginal studies since it was established in July 1984 on Regent Street, Chippendale by Aboriginal playwright and screenwriter

Bob Merritt Bob Merritt is the retired senior pastor of Eagle Brook Church in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, a megachurch. Early life and education Merritt's father was Calvin Merritt, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Neshannock Towns ...

. Merritt's purpose was to provide training in the arts for Aboriginal students, as an alternative to

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and the Australian Film and Television School. He was supported in this by NSW Education Minister

Rodney Cavalier Rodney Mark Cavalier (born 11 October 1948) is a former Australian politician, statutory officer and author. Cavalier was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly representing Fuller between 1978 and 1981 and then Gladesville betwe ...

and TAFE NSW, so the centre was able to offer an accredited three-year course. Another of Merritt's goals was to provide an antidote to the despair he observed among Aboriginal young people living in Redfern, "by engendering a renaissance of Aboriginal culture". As well as Merritt himself, established Aboriginal actors, writers and directors such as

Bob Maza Robert Lewis Maza (25 November 1939 – 14 May 2000), known as Bob Maza, was an Aboriginal Australian actor, playwright and activist. Early life and education Robert Lewis Maza was born on Palm Island in North Queensland on 25 November 1939, ...

and

Brian Syron Brian Gregory Syron (19 November 1934 – 14 October 1993) was an actor, teacher, Aboriginal rights activist, stage director and Australia's first Indigenous feature film director, who has also been recognised as the first First Nations featur ...

, as well as non-Indigenous theatre professionals like

George Ogilvie George Buchan Ogilvie (5 March 1931 – 5 April 2020) was a prolific Australian theatre director and actor, who also worked as a director and actor within film and television. Life and career George Ogilvie began as an actor at the Canberra ...

were appointed to the teaching staff. Prominent singer Jimmy Little worked at the centre in the 1980s. Merritt was consultant producer on a documentary film about the centre, ''Eora Corroboree'' (1985), the first in a series of documentaries called ''Black Futures'',PDF
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David Gulpilil David Dhalatnghu Gulpilil (1 July 1953 – 29 November 2021), known professionally as David Gulpilil and posthumously (at his family's request, to avoid naming the dead) as David Dalaithngu for three days, was an Indigenous Australian actor ...

contributing to the soundtrack. The film earned an

AWGIE The AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The awards began in 1967. The awards are judged by over 50 writers, most of whom are previo ...

nomination. The cast of Merritt's feature film ''

Short Changed ''Short Changed'' is a 1986 Australian film directed by George Ogilvie based on a script by Aboriginal writer Bob Merritt, who described it as a "black/white '' Kramer vs Kramer''".Mary Colbert, "Positive action: Bob Merritt, playwright and scre ...

'', made in 1985 and released in 1986, included EORA students. By 1986, Eora was a highly successful college, with more than 200 applicants vying for 70 places each year. It offered two streams: in the visual arts, there were classes in painting, photography,

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

, and pottery, while dance and acting were taught in the performing arts stream . In 1989, funding was cut by the

New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

, along with a directive to teach only

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, and not

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s and

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s. In 1993, lecturers from Eora travelled to 25 locations to offer a two-day course about Aboriginal culture to

NSW Police The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...

, intended to improve relations between the police and Aboriginal people. Past students include artist

Harry Wedge Harry James "HJ" Wedge (1957 – 8 November 2012) was a Wiradjuri artist. Early life and education Wedge was born in Erambie Mission, Cowra, New South Wales. Prior to starting his artwork professionally, Wedge worked as a driver and fruit pick ...

, dancer

Lillian Crombie Lillian Crombie (born 1958) is an Aboriginal Australian actress and dancer, known for her work on stage, film and television. Early life and education Lillian Crombie was born in 1958. She is of the Pitjantjatjara/ Yankunytjatjara people of cen ...

, actor

Trisha Morton-Thomas Trisha Morton-Thomas, also known as Patricia Morton-Thomas, is an Anmatyerr woman born in the Northern Territory of Australia. She is a writer, producer, director and actor who has worked in the Australian film industry since 1998 when she appe ...

, singer/songwriter

Emma Donovan Emma Donovan (born 1981) is an Aboriginal Australian singer and songwriter. She is a member of the renowned musical Donovan family. She started her singing career at age seven with her uncle's band, the Donovans. In 2000, she became a founding m ...

, photographer

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, and artist r e a.

Courses

Over 100,000 courses are offered annually. Some courses are available in different study formats, such as full-time, part-time, or online and distance learning. Qualifications awarded: *

Certificate I The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Government of Australia, Australian Government's Department of Industry (Australia), Departm ...

* Certificate II * Certificate III *

Certificate IV The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Australian Government's Department of Industry, with oversight from the States and Territo ...

Advanced Diploma is the Japanese original academic degree given to people who had spent more than 4 years and successfully completed a particular specialized course of study at the vocational schools certified by Japanese MEXT (the educational ministry of the Jap ...

*Statement of Attainment *

Associate Degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

Graduate Certificate A graduate certificate is an educational credential representing completion of specialized training at the college or university level. A graduate certificate can be awarded by universities upon completion of certain coursework indicating masteri ...

* Graduate Diploma *TAFE Plus Statement *TAFE Statement *

Diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

*Compliance *

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

* Higher School Certificate

TAFE Vocational Education and Training

The aim of the TAFE NSW delivered

Vocational Education and Training Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesman, tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education give ...

(TVET) qualification is to allow high school students to be more prepared for work, while still being at high school. TVET courses are considered ‘dual accredited’, which means they count as units of study towards both a Higher School Certificate (HSC), and a TVET qualification. All TVET subjects contribute towards a student's HSC units, and have the same unit value as other HSC elective subjects. Some subjects may also contribute to a student's

Australian Tertiary Admission Rank The Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) is the primary criterion for domestic student entry into undergraduate courses in Australian public universities. It was gradually introduced to most states and territories in 2009–10 and has sinc ...

(ATAR) for a university admission.

University pathways

University pathways are available to those seeking additional qualifications to enter University, would like to utilise practical training at TAFE NSW to reduce the time needed to study at University, and/or want to be work-ready with practical skills before the completion of a university degree. TAFE NSW has more than 435 agreed higher education pathways via more than 80 nationally recognised courses.

International students

TAFE NSW offers work-related training courses, intensive English programs, and 300 approved and accredited courses for international students. An International Student Coordinator is assigned to each international student. The coordinator's duty includes meeting with them when they arrive at their designated campus, assisting with their orientation program, answering questions about their units, and helping them access support services.

Facilities, support and services

The institution provides students access to their libraries and other facilities, which include individual, group study and social spaces, access to computers, and photocopy and printing. Online libraries are also available to students 24/7. There are over 30,000 Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped ...

students enrolled at TAFE NSW. The institution offers financial help to eligible Aboriginal students who live or work throughout New South Wales, or live in identified border postcodes. This includes scholarships, and financial help with travel, accommodation and meals. If eligible, Aboriginal students may be able to receive government financial help through ABSTUDY from Centrelink. To support Aboriginal students, Aboriginal support officers are available to help with enrolment, course selection, study support and employment opportunities. TAFE NSW enrols a number of students with a disability, offering a range of support services. This includes counselling, helping students choose the right courses for them, identifying support and assessment modifications, and access to services such as disability assistants, adaptive technologies, and sign-language interpreters. Students who are parents or caregivers have the opportunity to put their children in childcare facilities, which are provided at some TAFE NSW locations. If places are available, children can be enrolled as early as six weeks old up until they are five years of age. TAFE NSW offers personal and vocational counselling that is free and confidential. Students are able to discuss any study or personal matters with a counsellor. When seeking advice on course and career choices, students are able to get assistance on job opportunities, CV writing, applications, and interview skills. TAFE NSW provides multicultural services to students with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) backgrounds. This includes learning support for students from non-English speaking backgrounds enrolled in mainstream vocational courses, and advice on Temporary Visa Holders (TVH) for enrolling students. TAFE NSW is home to active student associations in the Central Coast, Illawarra, New England, North coast, Northern Sydney, Sydney and Western Sydney. These associations provide facilities and services for members, including social and cultural activities and events. They are furthermore non-political, and not-for-profit. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training, TAFE NSW offers the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), providing students up to 510 hours of free English lessons and childcare to newly arrived eligible migrants, and refugees. The institution offers the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program, an Australian government initiative. The program aims to improve reading, writing and maths.

Centres of Excellence

TAFE NSW is home to many Centres of Excellence. these facilities included: *Aeroskills Centre *Allied Timber Trades Centre *Australian Patisserie Academy *Centre for Digital Media and Design *Centre for Inland Engineering *Children's Services Centre *Cisco Academy Training Centre *Design Centre Enmore *Design Centre Hunter *Engineering Services *Equine Studies Centre *Fashion Design Studio (FDS) *Floor Covering Centre *Forest Industry Training Centre *Glass and Glazing Centre *Grafton Music Centre *Hair and Beauty Academy *Health Services Building *High Performance Sports Hub *Hunter Valley Hotel Academy *Illawarra Mechanical Engineering Centre *Information and Communication Technology Centres *Macarthur Building Industry Skills Centre *Mining Skills Centre *Nepean Health Precinct *Newcastle Art School *Newcastle English Language Centre *Newcastle Hair & Beauty Academy *Newcastle Maritime Training Centre *Northern Beaches Community Health and Fitness Centre *Nursing Unit, Gunnedah *Polymer Processing Centre *Regional Institute of Performing Arts *Stonemasonry Centre *Sydney Health Precinct *Sydney Language Centre *Sydney Maritime Simulator *Sydney Media Centre *Sydney Wine and Coffee Academy *The Sydney Academy of Hair, Beauty and Make-up *TwentyTwenty Training Restaurant *Yallah Centre of Sustainability

References

External links

TAFE NSW website
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