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Skills Tasmania

FAQs about VET for learners and jobseekers

VET is a great choice no matter how old you are or where you are in your career.

When you are starting out, or if you’re just looking at your options, understanding which course might be best for you can be confusing. There are many great choices with VET either through TasTAFE or with a private training provider.

You can do a course search or read the following information. Once you have some ideas, talk to a training provider to see what you can do and when you can start.

Just starting out?

1How do I choose what to do?

If you are interested in starting a new course, gaining skills, or want to do something that will help you get a job, then there are a few ways to start.

The first is to think about the sort of job, or work, you want to do, and find out what courses or study is needed to do that job. A good way is to ask a person who works in that industry, or an employer, what sort of training is required.

It is important to understand when training organisations start their learning year and any preparation you might need to do before you start.

The best thing to do is contact a training organisation for some advice, or do a search on a website such as www.tastafe.tas.edu.au. Young people might like to look at www.anything.tas.gov.au. To do further research into options, check out our search links below.

2Do I need to be working to do VET?

You don’t need to be working to start studying.  Some people start a course in an area of interest, with the plan of getting a job or changing jobs. You can contact a training organisation for advice about options, or do a search on a website such as www.tastafe.tas.edu.au or do further research into options via the search links below.

School students (years 9-12) may be able to do some vocational studies at their school or college. Talk to your school or college about the options available. It is also worth visiting www.anything.tas.gov.au to gain some insights into the options available.

If you want to start an apprenticeship or traineeship, however, then you do need to have an employer who will support you. See more information about apprenticeships and traineeships here.

3I am not sure about VET, is there more information?

There are a few good sources for information about VET in Tasmania. Other than this site, you can talk to the training provider and ask them questions about your options.

One of the questions that might pop up for you is what the difference is between learning via VET or university. For school leavers and people looking to formalise qualifications both have benefits but it is fair to say that VET is focused on more practical or applied learning, compared to a traditional academic approach of university.

It is important that you investigate your individual areas of interest if courses are available through both TAFE and University. Learners who would like help should seek individual guidance from the training provider or university offering the courses they are interested in.

If you are looking to research your own options online first, then check out the search links below.

What's the next step?

4How do I choose a training organisation?

The training organisation that you choose will be determined by the course you wish to start. Tasmania’s public training provider TasTAFE offers a range of courses to suit the needs of Tasmanian businesses. You can search available courses at www.tastafe.tas.edu.au.

Additionally, the Skills Tasmania course search will give you an indication of the courses and training providers available for Tasmania. You can also call the training organisation to ask if they offer a course in your area of interest.

If the sort of job you are interested in doesn’t appear to be offered by TasTAFE, it may be the course is offered by a private training provider specialising in that industry. Check out the useful links below to search for options.

5How much will it cost to do VET?

The Tasmanian Government contributes to the cost of training in a wide range of industry areas to ensure that Vocational Education and Training (VET) is available to and as affordable as possible for Tasmanians.

The Government has a number of training funding programs that provide the funds for training directly to the organisations that provide the training to learners. These organisations are known as registered training organisations (RTOs).

Some training, such as the JobTrainer Fund, is free to learners.

Other training, including training that has been funded by the Government, may require learners to pay a fee to the RTO. These fees may be called administration fees or enrolment fees and are set by the RTO.

JobTrainer Fund training courses are available to eligible learners at no cost. To be eligible, learners must be:

  1. individuals who are out of work or
  2. individuals who are in receipt of income support payments or
  3. individuals who are underemployed, which is defined as employed people who would prefer, and are available for, more hours of work than they currently have, including part-time workers or
  4. school leavers and young people aged 17 to 24, regardless of their employment status.

You can find out what JobTrainer Fund training courses are available here. If you see a course that interests you, you should contact the RTO listed to see if training places are still available and if you are eligible to access this training.

If you are an apprentice or trainee and are required to travel within Tasmania or interstate to attend training, you may be able to be reimbursed for some of the costs of travelling by applying for Travel and Accommodation Allowances.

6I need help who can advise me?

In most cases, the training provider can provide the best advice about which courses will meet your particular needs.

If you are at school (ie. Year 12 or below) then ask your school for information about VET courses and how they can contribute to your TCE. Further information about options for young people can be found at www.anything.tas.gov.au.

I’m ready to sign up!

7What else do I need to think about before I commit?

Before you start any new course it is worth having a think about what the education or training might look like for you.

The training organisations will be able to help you with the questions you have about the course, such as how long it goes for, when you need to be in attendance, how you will do your learning (online, in-class, on-the-job), how much it costs and what you need to do if your circumstances change.

Following are a few things to think about before you jump in:

  1. Time commitment – how long is the course, when are you expected to be in class, is there any additional work outside of class time?
  2. Employer arrangements – your employer will work with the training organisation if you are starting as an apprentice or trainee. This is done under an agreement between the learner, employer and training organisation.
  3. Transport – can you get to your study location? If not, what is your work-around?
  4. Books and other support material – what is needed and do you need to purchase it, or could you borrow it from the training organisation.
  5. Fees and payment – how much does it cost, are you eligible for fee-reduction or other reduced-cost training, can you access a loan, who pays the fees, and when are the fees due?

In all cases, you can ask these of training organisation who is delivering the course.

8Where do I sign up?

That’s great! If you’re ready to sign up to a VET course then you know your future is in the right track.

You might be starting with a short course that gets you started on your learning journey or maybe it’s a 1-4 year course that fits with your career goals. Either way, test driving VET is a great way to build skills and the confidence you need for a new job.

To start your course, the first thing to do is to contact a training provider that offers the course, or the area of study that you are interested in. For example if you think you want to work in the care sector, studies might be anything from childcare, to disability services, individual support, to aged care or nursing.

The same might apply if you think you want to work in a trade but are not sure which trade is best for you. Websites like https://www.tastafe.tas.edu.au/ can be a good first step or contact the training provider directly for more information.

To do further research into options, check out our Useful Links

It is important to note that training providers do not offer intakes for courses all year. Usually training providers will offer one to two intakes (start dates) per year depending on the type of course they offer and the interest that has been expressed in that course. Talk to the training provider for more information.

9What happens once I decide to sign up?

Congratulations, you are on your way. What happens now?

The process for starting a course with a training organisation may be slightly different from one to the other, but generally there are four key steps:

  1. You find your course
  2. You express interest
  3. You apply to do the course
  4. You finalise your enrolment

Once you have finalised your enrolment, the training organisation will provide you with information and resources about the course and what you can expect.

10What will my learning experience be like?

Your experience of learning will depend on the course you are doing and how the training provider plans to deliver the course you have enrolled into. Courses may be a combination of in-classroom, in the workplace or online training, and your training organisation can provide information about learning options when you enrol.

Most people who do a VET course thoroughly enjoying the learning experience and the confidence and skills they gain from undertaking learning.

11I need special help or support

Training providers will be able to offer assistance to learners who have a disability, or have special requirements in the learning environment. In some cases, this may be assistance enrolling in a course and filling out written forms, or it may be special arrangements required to accommodate disabilities, the use of aids or in managing health conditions.

If you have specific needs, these should be discussed with the training provider who will be able to explain what assistance is available in their learning environment.

12Are there any other options other than TAFE?

TasTAFE is the Tasmanian Government’s public training provider and as such offers many of the state’s courses across a range of campuses throughout the state. It is a broad source of training but not the only training provider endorsed to deliver training in Tasmania.

Making a good decision about your training provider can be made by working out the area of study that you are interested in, and then researching using one of our Useful Links to find a training provider that offers that course locally. To find an endorsed training provider visit the Endorsed Registered Training Providers list on the Skills Tasmania website.

13What if I change my mind part way through?

There is an expectation that when you sign up for a course that you should be able to see it through to the end. Some training providers offer more flexible arrangements for learning and you are encouraged to discuss this with the training provider before you commence.

If you do need to leave or cancel your training you can discuss this directly with your training provider to see what options are available.

14Can my existing training be recognised?

Information about recognition of prior learning can be found on this page.