Fee-free TAFE expansion set to benefit Victorian fridgies

The federal and Victorian governments have announced the creation of up to 62,800 additional fee-free TAFE positions in Victoria over a five-year period beginning in 2024. With a skills shortage identified in the construction sector – including among specialists in refrigeration and air conditioning – the announcement looks set to make training more accessible for aspiring fridgies in Victoria.

Commonwealth Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor says the scheme will target “areas desperately calling out for workers”.

“Right across the country we need more nurses, more early childhood educators and more new energy and construction workers,” O’Connor says. “This Commonwealth investment makes sure that can happen.”

The federal government has allocated nearly $107 million in funds to creating the additional fee-free places. According to the Victorian government, the existing fee-free TAFE scheme has already attracted 33,600 enrolments since the start of 2023, including more than 4,200 in the construction sector. Since beginning in 2019, the program has saved more than 152,000 students a combined $384 million in tuition fees.