• long running

[VIC] Free Certificate 2/3/4 & Diploma Courses for Eligible Victorian Residents @ TAFE Victoria

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Victoria has the most TAFE courses under Free TAFE scheme compared to other states. I found that the best TAFE school for the courses is Swinburne and Holmesglen since they don't charge the extra Student Service Fees so you can save hundreds of dollar on this fees. Some TAFE do charge extra material fees as well. Victoria even have a few diploma courses under Free TAFE as well.

For tech courses you can consider Swinburne, and you can consider Holmesglen Moorabbin for Cert 3 in Commercial Cookery (Le Cordon Bleu kitchen is also in this campus)

Some of the high value courses are Cert 4 in Cyber Security and Diploma of Nursing (this course is not cheap). Diploma of Nursing in Swinburne is 1.5year instead of 2years in other TAFE schools.
https://www.swinburne.edu.au/courses/fees/loans-discounts-lo…

Cert 3 in Commercial Cookery in Holmesglen Moorabbin is also a good course with coffee units, artisan bread unit and even job placement program. You can also study the few extra Patisserie units to complete the Cert 3 in Patisserie as well (this will cost extra but not much since it is only like 6 units).
https://holmesglen.edu.au/Courses/Hospitality-Tourism-and-Ev…

Because of COVID-19, we have another scheme called JobTrainer if you are unemployed (either under JobSeeker or not is not required) so you can take 2 courses if you are unemployed, 1 under JobTrainer and 1 under FreeTafe scheme. Upskill requirements can be exempted for FreeTafe and JobTrainer

The good thing with Swinburne and Holmesglen is they don't add extra or separate fees like Student Service Fee and Material Fee which is not covered under FreeTafe.

If you are in other state, you can consider moving to VIC to take the free TAFE courses since you will have much more courses to study than other states.


Eligibillity

Any Australian citizen or permanent resident or a New Zealand citizen is eligible to do one Free TAFE for priority course in Victoria if they meet the following criteria:

  • under 20 or upskilling
  • aged under 20 (regardless of any other qualifications they might hold)
  • are 20 or older and enrolling in a course that is a higher qualification than the highest qualification previously attained
  • Victorians who need additional support
    Victorians who are:
    • unemployed and clients of the Jobs Victoria Employment Network
    • retrenched workers
    • automotive supply chain workers
    • looking to change careers
    • Victorians who want to reskill, change careers, improve their employment prospects and/or meet the needs of local industries, subject to availability of TAFE places, and prioritised based on need. It is expected that priority will be given to people impacted by the coronavirus, such as women, young people and migrants, and other vulnerable people.

There is another scheme called SkillFirst which will requires you to upskill only, i.e you can only eligible to study higher cert level that you have already completed and there is a limit of 2 per year and a few other requirements.
I have found some provider provide Skill First courses free as well like Construction courses (some excavator training… in the course) and Telecommunication courses (i.e you can work for NBN installer or other cabling technician). You need to plan which course level you want to do first if you want to take up this scheme.


FOR EMPLOYER: For those who are looking for jobs, there is wage subsidy scheme for 10k grant for employer to employ someone who is on Jobseeker for 6+ month. This maybe something that you can bring up to employer or if you can consider if you are employer
https://www.dese.gov.au/wage-subsidies


Free TAFE course list

Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping

Diploma of Accounting

Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs

Advanced Diploma of Accounting

Certificate IV in Ageing Support

Certificate II in Agriculture

Certificate III in Agriculture

Certificate IV in Agriculture

Certificate III in Agriculture (Dairy Production)

Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance

Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance

Certificate IV in Building and Construction (Building)

Diploma of Building and Construction (Building)

Advanced Diploma of Building Surveying

Certificate IV in Child, Youth and Family Intervention

Certificate III in Civil Construction

Certificate III in Civil Construction Plant Operations

Certificate IV in Civil Construction Supervision

Certificate III in Commercial Cookery

Certificate III in Community Services

Certificate IV in Community Services

Diploma of Community Services

Certificate III in Concreting

Certificate III in Construction Waterproofing

Certificate IV in Cyber Security

Certificate III in Dental Assisting

Certificate IV in Dental Assisting

Certificate IV in Disability

Certificate III in Education Support

Certificate IV in Education Support

Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

Certificate IV in Engineering

Certificate III in Health Services Assistance

Certificate III in Horticulture

Certificate III in Hospitality

Certificate III in Individual Support

Diploma of Justice

Certificate IV in Mental Health

Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work

Diploma of Nursing

Certificate IV in Plumbing and Service

Certificate III in Rail Infrastructure

Certificate III in Tourism

Certificate IV in Youth Work

The following skill set is free at TAFE, though it does not form part of the Free TAFE course list. Taking this skill set will not impact your Free TAFE entitlement.

Course in Introduction to the National Disability Insurance Scheme

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Comments

  • Great post, just what i was looking for. I have question. I have master's degree in architecture, if I want to do diploma or cert 4 in building and construction will I be eligible for free or not?
    If yes, then which institute should I opt for?
    And does it have a maximum time requirement , like to finish in max 2 years or so?

    • https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/11073438/redir

      There is census date usually 1month after the course started that you can withdraw from the course if it is not suitable for you and you can still preserve that FreeTAFE slot for a more suitable course.

      Generally speaking you should be able to do it, I have seen many students with degree doing Cert 4 in Cyber Security.

  • This only open to citizens & permanent residents? Bit unclear because it says so in the first paragraph but then goes on to talk about 'Victorians' eligible due to wanting to reskill etc. Partner is a temporary resident and might be interested.

    • Yes, only Aus/NZ PR and citizen is eligible and you must be VIC resident.

  • +2

    Cert 2 pre-apprentice in Plumbing in Swinburne is a good one if you plan to become Plumber. It only cost $149 if you have Concession card.

    You will get trained with great skill set in plumbing industry and you also get the White card. Other Tafe charge extra $100 for the White card.


    Cert 2 in Electrotechnology in RMIT is a good one if you plan to become electrician. The units covered in RMIT also includes air conditioning and refrigerant tubing and fitting. Not all TAFE school offer this unit.

    Both courses above are also under FreeTAFE but if you want to save it for the higher course i.e Cert3 then you can just pay for it since it is quite cheap if you have Concession card.

  • -2

    The thread proves Cybersecurity = overrated….

    • not fully true, if you just want to enrol to this course because of the name of the course then yes.

  • -1

    Even though the wage is low I want to be a work safety inspector because of all the `^'s in the building industry that need sorting .

  • Does anyone know which Tafes are best for counseling courses, like Certificate IV in Mental Health or Certificate IV in Community Services?

  • +1

    Why do people think a Certificate 4 in Cyber Security is highly valued? I completed cert 3, 4, Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Computer related studies and I would say anyone with a high school education could easily jump to at least Diploma level without too much trouble.

    Or if it’s about money just do some Udemy courses and get industry recognised certification.

    • It's probably a great stepping stone for getting in-industry for those skilled at it through life experience, where networking and "who you know" can take you further than completing the same study over and over again because you're too hesitant to get out of your comfort zone and a job/get the ball rolling.

      Not everyone has a responsibility free life also, as they need to maintain a full-time income and be present for their partner/family and life balance.

      Just my feedback.

  • Hey guys. I'm looking to do Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping but I'm a bit pressed for time.

    Do any of these providers do an online course at your own pace?

    • Swimburne has this course online.

  • Hey OP, do you know if the Cert IV in Cybersecurity at Swinbourne is available online? I want to enrol in it but might not have time to attend on campus.

    • It is not online, at the moment it is online because of lockdown.

  • Don't think it's been mentioned in this thread, they added more courses:

    New courses to be added to the Free TAFE list from 2022 include:

    Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing
    Certificate IV in Leisure and Health
    Certificate III in Information Technology
    Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
    Certificate III in Supply Chain Operations
    Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety
    Certificate IV in Outdoor Leadership

    Is there any Free TAFE courses that you reckon can earn a reliable $40 an hour and easy to get a job down the track without experience in the industry?

    I mean, it's great the government will pay for me to do one of these courses, but I did a Real Estate Agent's Representative certificate for $150 in 3 days, and it got me a $55k-$60k a year job pretty much straight away as an assistant property manager, and if I had stuck around longer than 3 months, I'd be a property manager now earning $75k-80k (I got an even better job).

    The Cert II in Electrotechnology looks like a good one, but I can't find one that fits around my full-time job that I want to "transition to another career".

    • from where you did real estate agent in $150 ? The job of $55k to $60k is based on retainer bases or is it salary ? Are you still continuing real estate and is it worth it ?

      • It actually cost me $199. From Connect Skills institute, but it appears the requirements have changed from 3 units to 18 units!

        https://connectskillsinstitute.edu.au/real-estate-education-…

        You need to google around to find deals on pricing, and maybe different states than Victoria have different rules.

        I was on $55k base salary as a property manager assistant, no sales involved. If you are good at your job, and learn to handle a portfolio, you can earn a decent salary. I found a much higher earning job, that was easier, and lockdown-proof, so I quit.

    • I'm also interested to know where can you do the Agent Rep for $150? It cost at least $500 when I did it many years ago.

      • Do you need to renew it every few years ?

  • What would be more worthy? Cert III information technology or the cert IV cyber security?

    And where? I got the options of Box Hill, Chisholm, RMIT, VU and Swinburne. According to people here Box Hill is a no go.
    Is it recommend to get a certificate at a uni over a TAFE?
    Chisholm is closest to me by a large margin, all the others are about a 1 hour trip but I wouldn't mind travelling a bit if it's worth it

    • Cert 4 in Cyber Security at Swinburne is a good option. You probably won't learn much with Cert 3 in IT.

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