TAFE Courses in Tasmania

Tasmania (TAS) may be roughly 240km from Australia’s mainland, but there is no distance between the quality of education in the island state and the rest of the country. But the high standard of education isn’t the only thing that Tasmanian students enjoy. Its relative isolation has allowed for a range of unique plant and animal species to flourish, which makes it a dream for anyone with even a passing interest in nature.

It’s one of the lesser populated states in Australia, which means that it’s ideally suited to people who like to enjoy everything that a first-world country has to offer, but without all the first-world hassles, like crowds, traffic and pollution.

What TAFE study options are available to me in Tasmania?

In 2013, Tasmania’s TAFE system was overhauled and now all public sector TAFE and VET study opportunities are overseen by TasTAFE. The new and improved organisation aims to provide students with practical and relevant skills to ensure that they fit seamlessly into any workplace environment. School leavers aren’t the only ones who can benefit from TAFE courses in Tasmania, as many adults register for courses to build upon their current levels of education, or to boost their skills with ongoing professional education.

Businesses also take advantage of workplace TAFE opportunities that enable them to develop their employees’ skills.

Finally, there are short courses for recreational purposes, so that you can do anything from learn a new language to develop your travel writing skills.

Semester courses

Traditionally, most of the TAS TAFE courses have been offered on a semester basis; that is, they have followed a predetermined structure based on dates and deadlines. These courses have included everything from apprenticeships in bricklaying to advanced diplomas in screen and media. The structure of semester courses is ideally suited to full-time students who have just left school. It also suits part-time students who may attend evening classes.

These days, many semester courses are also offered online, which at least gives students flexibility regarding their exact hours of study.

Short courses

Students in Tasmania have plenty of choice when it comes to short TAFE courses, including accredited courses that will stand them in good stead in the professional world, or which can be used as recognition of prior learning for other TAFE courses. These include courses like Barista Master Class, for those in the hospitality industry and Eco and Adventure Guiding for those in tourism.

Non-accredited short courses are for people in Tasmania who want to start a new hobby, improve their skills in an existing hobby, or just learn something new. These include first aid, cake decorating and how to use scuba breathing apparatus.

Online courses

Correspondence courses are available through TasTAFE eLearning. eLearning provides TAFE students in Tasmania (and greater Australia) with interactive online resources that can be used for all types of courses, even the practical ones that would ordinarily not be offered online, like panel beating.

Tasmania TAFE Institutes

TasTAFE oversees TAFE in Tasmania, including courses for secondary school students (Years 11 and 12), foundation skills courses, migrant education courses, courses for international students, and apprenticeships and traineeships.

TasTAFE

TasTAFE delivers its courses from 14 campuses and seven trade training centres in the state.

Note: not all of the courses are available at all of the campuses, for example, Advanced Diploma of Children’s Services is only available at Alanvale Campus, and Advanced Diploma of Tourism is only available at Drysdale Campus.

Campuses:

• There are three TAFE campuses in North Tasmania offering a variety of courses: Alanvale Campus, Inveresk Campus, and Launceston Campus.
• TAFE courses are offered from four campuses in North West TAS: Burnie Campus, Devonport Campus, Smithton Campus, and South Burnie Campus.
• The bulk of TAFE campuses in South Tasmania are in Hobart. There are seven TAFE campuses in total: Hunter Street Campus, Drysdale Campus, Bathurst Street Campus, Bender Drive Campus, Campbell Street Campus, Claremont Campus, and Clarence Campus.

Tasmania for students

Tasmania doesn’t have the sweltering summers found in most other parts of the Australia. In fact, the summers can be a little on the cool side and winters are definitely chilly, although temperatures don’t often drop below freezing.

Students on a tight budget would do well to find shared accommodation to bring down their costs. There are plenty of shared flats and houses available. Your options are furnished, semi-furnished, and unfurnished. Furnished accommodation costs a little more, but if you take an unfurnished house or flat you will have to factor the cost of buying furniture and appliances into your initial costs. Often, semi-furnished options are the best idea.

Public transport is good in the major cities, but everything is so close together that cycling and walking are very popular options.

There are plenty of markets where students can get cheap fresh fruit and veg, and seafood – it is an island after all. There are also several affordable entertainment options, including a growing number of shows and festivals. Those with a cultural bent will appreciate the music and performing arts scene. And then there are all the different outdoor activities, which range from all the water sports on the coast and on the many rivers in the state to hiking and skiing up in the mountains.