The Diploma of Nursing will be offered for free at the Mount Gambier TAFE next year, thanks to the Fee Free TAFE initiative.
Fee Free TAFE is a collaborative initiative of the Australian and South Australian governments which supports 15,000 fee-free vocational education and training places.
The initiative offers tuition-free training opportunities for people seeking to train, retrain or upskill and aims to help address skills shortages.
TAFE SA chief executive David Coltman said there had been an outstanding response to the Fee Free TAFE initiative throughout this year.
“A large number of new students have been gaining qualifications in key industry sectors who would otherwise have been unable to do so,” he said.
“It was fantastic the State and Federal Governments recently announced additional funding for Fee Free TAFE which will provide 4500 fee free places across the state at TAFE SA each year for the next three years commencing in 2024.
“We also welcomed the Premier’s announcement the very popular Diploma of Nursing will be included in the fee free courses for next year at TAFE SA.
“Our local campus at Mount Gambier delivers a range of courses that are on the fee free list, including the Diploma of Nursing, however as with all courses, the number of places for students in these courses is not unlimited.
“TAFE SA delivers a wide variety of education and training across the state.
With the Government’s commitment to skills training, with TAFE SA at the centre, we will be looking to expand our program offerings across all regional campuses, including at Mount Gambier.
“The additional investment in training delivery will help us to support industries facing skills shortages, growth industries and emerging sectors.”
Since its launch at the beginning of 2023, thousands of South Australians have enrolled and embarked on their studies in Fee Free TAFE courses.
The expansion of Fee Free Tafe will foster growth in key sectors and facilitate the emergence of new industries, opening up avenues for South Australians to acquire advanced skills in priority areas.
In the Limestone Coast, Fee Free TAFE courses are currently available in the study areas of Building and Construction, Business and Marketing, Community Services, Primary Industries and Science, Education and Languages, Information Technology and Hospitality.
As Fee Free TAFE specifically caters to covering course tuition fees, certain courses may involve additional fees such as a Resource Fee or Incidental Fee.
For further information about Fee Free TAFE courses, visit the TAFE SA website www.tafesa.edu.au
