BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

NOVEMBER 4, 2024

Course fees can be off-putting when you’re considering a new career, so it’s great to see that the government’s Fee-free TAFE initiative has been positive for hundreds of thousands of Australians. 

Fee-free TAFE ran between January 2023 and June 2024, and it’s resulted in more than 508,000 enrolments in courses in priority areas, including early childhood education and care (ECEC).  

Lots of young Australians, job-seekers and First Nations people have enrolled in the program, with six in 10 places taken up by women, and almost 35% of students coming from regional and remote Australia. 

Gaining fee-free vocational education and training is a brilliant way to broaden people’s horizons and address skills shortages, and we’re happy to report that Fee-Free TAFE is here to stay – provided the Albanese government gets re-elected.  

The Albanese government says it will introduce legislation to lock in Fee-free TAFE for good and fund 100,000 Fee-free TAFE places per year from 2027.  

This would build on the current partnership the Australian government has with the states and territories to deliver 180,000 Fee-free TAFE places in 2023 and 300,000 places over the three years from 2024.  

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says, “We want to make sure Australians can go on to have well-paid, secure jobs – and Fee-free TAFE creates those opportunities for individuals as well as investing in the future of our country.” 

Fee-free TAFE definitely incentivises people to pursue their interest in ECEC and commit to a career in the sector, and this is positive for children, families and ECEC providers, who all benefit from a happy and stable childcare workforce.  

So, while the future is unwritten when it comes to politics, it is good to see the Albanese government committing to Fee-free TAFE around the nation if re-elected; and you can read more about the impact of this initiative here.