Student Support
Free TAFE has opened the door for thousands of Australians. Now it's time to give every student the support they need to succeed.
A New Generation of Learners
Free TAFE has helped a whole new group of people learn, and empowered more than 650,000 Australians with valuable skills.
The State of Our TAFE survey revealed a significant change in student needs, with more students presenting with mental health challenges, lower literacy and numeracy, and limited digital skills.
"The demographic of students has changed dramatically. We're now seeing students with much more complex needs, and we simply don't have the support staff to help them."
— Vanna, Learning Skills Teacher, Victoria
The Support That Will Transform Outcomes
Teachers are stepping into roles as counsellors, social workers and literacy tutors on top of their teaching. Dedicated support teams will take this pressure off teachers and dramatically improve student outcomes.
The quality of education TAFE offers can lift with proper resourcing. It'll take matching growing student numbers with adequate student support.
"Students are coming to us with significant mental health issues, housing insecurity, and trauma. With the right support team around them, these students can absolutely succeed."
— Anonymous TAFE Teacher, Queensland
Paid Placements: Removing Barriers to Completion
Many TAFE courses require unpaid work placements or poorly paid apprenticeships, imposing a real financial barrier for many students who need to work while studying. Expanding the number of courses eligible for paid placements, so that every student can finish their education, would make a significant difference.
"Students are choosing between food on the table and completing their placement. Paid placements would be transformative."
— Clare, TAFE Teacher, Victoria
The Investment That Will Make the Difference
To set every TAFE student up for success, governments should:
- Fund multidisciplinary support teams on every TAFE campus
- Reduce student-to-support staff ratios
- Extend the Commonwealth Practicum Payment to all essential service qualifications
- Establish TAFE as the preferred provider for the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) programme
- Fund digital access programmes to remove technology barriers
Be part of the rebuild
Join thousands of Australians backing public vocational education.
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