Nearly 6000 TAFE SA offers in 2022: Search the list

The first round of TAFE SA offers for 2022 is out – more than 5700, a decrease for the second year in a row. Search the list of offers here.

Nearly 6000 offers have been made to South Australians to start studying at TAFE SA this year.

The number of offers made in the main round was down significantly on last year and 2020 but TAFE chief executive David Coltman said there were increases in apprenticeships and trainees.

At least 5790 offers from 9000 applications had been made by Friday night. At the same time last year, 7629 offers had been made and in 2020 there were 8729 offers.

“While application and offer numbers fluctuate at this time of year, overall enrolment numbers are looking very good for 2022,” Mr Coltman said.

“We are again seeing growth in application numbers for apprenticeships and traineeships.

“We are also seeing enrolment growth in vocational education and training (VET) courses for school students.”

Mr Coltman said it had been a challenging time for everyone in South Australia because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but TAFE SA was confident it could help with the economic recovery.

The most popular courses were nursing, pathology, animal studies and veterinary nursing, dental, electrical and renewable energy and beauty therapy.

Further offers will be made weekly until April 21.

“In response to industry demand, we will also introduce new courses during the 2022 year,” Mr Coltman said.

These would include a Certificate III and IV in Entrepreneurship and New Business, an Advanced Diploma of Applied Fashion Design and Merchandising, and a Certificate IV in Residential Drafting.

“We will also be launching new micro-credentials which have been developed to fill gaps in the vocational education courses available nationally,” he said.

“Many of these courses will focus on new and emerging industries. Courses include an Introduction to Drone Technology, Introduction to Naval Shipbuilding and Introduction to Hydrogen Industries.”

Last year, TAFE cut 20 courses from metropolitan Adelaide including in early childhood education and support for ageing or disability sectors. This followed consultation with other organisations, including the Innovation and Skills Department, which determined the private sector could provide that training. TAFE also introduced more than 20 courses last year.

Mr Coltman said TAFE wanted to increase flexibility in how courses were delivered, following positive experiences of online teaching.

Building Designer George Brown and pathology worker Susan Mercer in the health training laboratory at TAFE SA’s Adelaide city campus. Picture: Roy VanDerVegt

George Brown, who is in the final semester of a Diploma of Building Design, said he valued being able to continue studies online while travelling overseas.

Mr Brown, 26, is now back in Adelaide working part-time for SA Building Designers.

“We do mainly housing with a little bit of commercial,” he said.

Last month, Mr Brown won a national award from the Building Designers Association of Australia, taking out the student design category.

His concept for the Aldinga Arts Eco Village Community Centre featured a range of materials – including straw bale walls, exposed timber roof structures and lime rendering – which produced a warm, sustainable and resource-efficient building.

“I love the creativity and the challenge of meeting the design brief,” he said.

Susan Mercer made a career change to study a Certificate III in pathology collection and has landed a job at Clinpath.

“I was a travel agent and then Covid-19 hit,” said Ms Mercer, who is in her 40s.

“I was facing a really uncertain future and realised I had to try something else.

“I’m not squeamish about blood or needles, so pathology worked well.”

Both Ms Mercer and Mr Brown are confident their TAFE training has equipped them with the skills for jobs well into the future.