Polytechnic West (formerly Swan TAFE) was a State Training Provider established under section 35 of the Vocational Education and Training Act 1996 (WA) based in
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Western Australia. Polytechnic West is one of the largest training providers in the state and teaches and instructs in a range of areas from trade-based apprenticeships to business and finance to aviation across its eight campuses in Bentley, Carlisle, Midland, Thornlie, Balga, Jandakot and two Armadale campuses.
Polytechnic West had existed under various guises since the early 20th century, when Perth Technical School was established to train professional and skilled workers to for the new railway technologies that supported the state's agriculture and mining industries. The most recent change was from Swan TAFE in 2009 as part of a government initiative in which State Training Providers were granted more independence and encouraged to "reinvent themselves to meet the requirements of the volatile economic climate". The Polytechnic's reinvention has seen it branch out into areas normally untouched by State Training Providers (STP), and was the first STP to teach Higher Education.
Polytechnic West was Western Australia's Large Training Provider of the Year in 2011.
In April 2016, the Government of Western Australia announced the reform of the TAFEs. Polytechnic West was merged with the
Challenger Institute, to become the
South Metropolitan TAFE
South Metropolitan TAFE (formerly known as Challenger Institute of Technology or Challenger TAFE) is a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institution with campuses in Armadale, Bentley, Carlisle, Fremantle, Jandakot, Kwinana, Mandurah, M ...
. Starting from 2017, the campuses in Midland and Balga were transferred to the
North Metropolitan TAFE
North Metropolitan TAFE is a state government-funded educational facility delivering Technical and Further Education (TAFE). It services the northern suburbs of Perth across ten campuses.
It was formed on 11 April 2016, when the State Governmen ...
.
Courses
Polytechnic West offers over 400 courses in areas including:
* Access, English & Languages
* Aerospace
* Animals & Horticulture
* Automotive
* Building, Construction & Furniture
* Business & Finance
* Community, Children & Education
* Creative & Design
* Electrical, Electronics & Telecommunications
* Engineering, Metals & Mining
* Hospitality & Food Trades
* Occupational Health & Fitness
* Information Technology
* Refrigeration, Plumbing & Gas
Polytechnic West award courses are in line with the
Australian Quality Training Framework The National Training System is the Australian system for vocational education and training (VET) under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF), in which employers, the States of Australia, and the Commonwealth Government, formalise a curri ...
(AQTF). The AQTF establishes standard titles and levels for courses across Australia. The qualifications that are currently offered include:
* Associate Degree
* Advanced Diploma
* Diploma
* Certificate IV
* Certificate III
* Certificate II
* Certificate I
Campuses and facilities
Polytechnic West currently has 8 campuses.
List of campuses
/ref> They are:
* Armadale
* Armadale Equine Training Centre
* Balga
* Bentley
* Carlisle
* Jandakot
* Midland
* Thornlie
Notes
External links
*
TAFE WA
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