Federal funding injection opens up another 43,400 fee-free TAFE enrolments in Queensland

An extra 43,400 fee-free TAFE places will be available in Queensland, targeting in-demand areas.

Redcliffe father-of-two Keenan Sneddon returned to study this year with TAFE Queensland through the federal fee-free TAFE scheme. Photo: Supplied.

A federal funding boost will unlock more fee-free TAFE spots next year to tackle skill shortages, after more than 65,000 Queenslanders took advantage of the scheme this year.

An extra 43,400 fee-free TAFE places will be available in Queensland and will target in-demand areas such as the care sector, technology, hospitality and tourism.

The most popular study areas among eligible fee-free students in Queensland this year have been Engineering, Commerce, Education, Architecture, and Health.

The highest enrolments were seen among aspiring electricians with over 4700, accounting attracted 3700, and early childhood education registered 2600 enrolments.

Keenan Sneddon, a 32-year-old father-of-two who lives at Redcliffe in the City of Moreton Bay, dropped out of school in Year 10 while living in Perth.

“I was left behind, I couldn’t focus on anything and getting the teachers’ attention was impossible because of how many kids were in the school. So I could have kept going to class and getting further behind, or I could just stop,” he said.

After leaving school his jobs included trolley collecting, mailbox deliveries, and door-to-door sales. He then became a stay-at-home dad to his daughters – now aged five and nine.

At the start of this year, Mr Sneddon was diagnosed with ADHD and autism. His oldest child is also autistic. The diagnosis led to him getting the medication he needed to concentrate.

The medication and fee-free help led to Mr Sneddon going back to school this year and enrolling in a Certificate IV in Adult Tertiary Preparation at TAFE Queensland.

He has learned the key Maths and English skills he missed out on in Year 11 and 12, and next year he will focus on mastering high school Modern History and Biology.

He then hopes to pursue a Bachelor of Education at university and become a high school teacher, in the midst of a national teacher shortage.

“I love cooking and I also enjoy what I do with computers. So I figure if I can teach kids Home Economics and IT, I’m good to go,” he said.

“I’m probably also going to do a psychology course at TAFE once I’m done with my university Education course, because I’m going to look into disability support.

“If I’m going to teach kids with autism, and I have autism myself, I may as well figure out how to help kids with autism.”

Mr Sneddon said his return to study would not have been possible without the fee-free help.

“I put so much thought into where my money goes, and particularly now it is so much harder to do anything,” he said.

“But because it is free, I’m able to do what I need to do to get into university to make sure my kids have what they need.”

Queensland Skills and Training Minister Di Farmer said the fee-free TAFE program is changing lives and bringing cost-of-living relief to students. Photo: David Clark.

The Fee-Free TAFE scheme can save Support Worker students up to $5685, Cyber Security students at least $5840, and aspiring Early Childhood teachers almost $1250.

Skills and Training Minister Di Farmer said the expanded initiative signified an almost $85 million investment in Queensland.

“We’ve seen Queenslanders embrace the golden opportunity that is Fee-Free TAFE in 2023 to gain new skills and find a job, or to upskill and change careers,” she said.

“Students accessing Fee-Free TAFE will help address Queensland’s current and future workforce needs.”

Deputy Premier Steven Miles said the announcement came at a time when every dollar counted.

“It’s a hallmark policy of our government and one I will continue to champion because it generates a generation of highly skilled workers in areas of demand,” he said.

“We know the best measure to tackle national cost of living pressures is for Queenslanders to have good, secure jobs.”

Federal Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor said a further 300,000 fee-free TAFE places would be created nationally next year, with almost 44,000 in Queensland.

“This is what genuine collaboration and partnership can achieve … Queensland is helping train the next generation of workers and it would not be possible without the support of the state government,” he said.

The announcement is in addition to the landmark five-year National Skills Agreement reached in October between the Federal and State governments which will unlock billions of dollars in skills and training funding to bolster the state’s workforce and prosperity.