Vocational education and training (VET) is designed to provide students job specific training. This training is provided with government funding along with industry, public and private training providers. This is standardized to give consistent training all around Australia.

The speciality of vocational education sector is its method of offering qualifications with emphasis on practical hands on training. Top source of international students to this sector is from India, Korea, and Thailand.

TAFE (Technical and further education)

Apart from Certificate I, Certificate II, Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma qualifications, from 2002 the TAFE education sector has been able to offer bachelor’s degrees and post-graduate diploma courses.

Australian students who enrol in undergraduate degree courses at TAFE are required to pay full fees. Some TAFE colleges are part of a university. TAFE courses are used by international students as pathways to university degrees.

TAFE Colleges in Australia

Australian Capital Territory

• Canberra Institute of Technology

New South Wales

• Hunter Institute
• Illawarra Institute
• New England Institute
• North Coast Institute
• Northern Sydney Institute
• Riverina Institute
• South Western Sydney Institute
• Western Institute
• Western Sydney Institute

Northern Territory

• Charles Darwin University
• Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education

Queensland

Tafe Queensland

• Brisbane (formerly Brisbane North Institute of TAFE, Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE and Southbank Institute of Technology)
• Gold Coast (formerly Gold Coast Institute of TAFE)
• East Coast (formerly Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE and Wide Bay Institute of TAFE)
• South West (formerly Bremer Institute of TAFE and Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE)
• North (formerly Barrier Reef Institute of TAFE, Mount Isa Institute of TAFE and Tropical North Queensland TAFE)
• SkillsTech (formerly SkillsTech Australia)

South Australia

• TAFE SA

Tasmania

• TAFE Tasmania includes:
  • Institute of TAFE Tasmania
  • Drysdale Institute
• Australian Maritime College TAFE

Victoria

• Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE
• Box Hill Institute of TAFE
• Chisholm Institute
• East Gippsland Institute of TAFE
• Gordon Institute of TAFE
• Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE
• Holmesglen Institute of TAFE
• Kangan Institute
• Melbourne Polytechnic
• RMIT University
• South West Institute of TAFE
• Sunraysia Institute of TAFE
• Swinburne University of Technology
• University of Ballarat
• Victoria University
• William Angliss Institute of TAFE
• Wodonga Institute of TAFE
• The University of Melbourne

Western Australia

• North Metropolitan TAFE (Formerly Central Institute of Technology & West Coast Institute of Training)
• South Metropolitan TAFE (Formerly Challenger Institute of Technology & Polytechnic West)
• Central Regional TAFE (Formerly Durack Institute of Technology, Goldfields Institute of Technology & C. Y. O’Connor Institute)
• South Regional TAFE (Formerly South West Institute of Technology & Great Southern Institute of Technology)
• North Regional TAFE (Formerly Kimberley TAFE & Pilbara Institute)

Private Colleges

VET courses are also offered by private colleges. This is one sector infamously infiltrated by dodgy education providers, making use of the liberal funding by state and federal governments.

Secondary Schools

A majority of Secondary schools in Australia offer VET programs to students. This enables students to gain VET qualifications along with their secondary education.

Qualifications offered by the VET sector

Certificate I  –     3 – 6 months

Certificate II & III –            6 – 12 months

Certificate IV –    1 year

Diploma –             1 – 2 years

Advanced Diploma –        2 – 2.5 years

Vocational Graduate Certificate –              6 months

Vocational Graduate Diploma –  1 – 1.5 years

Fee for Overseas Students

Course fee varies widely depending on the college and course, it could be anything from $6000 to $18000.