Opening doors to career change
January is often a time of reflection as we celebrate the new year, and in this column, I wanted to reflect on some of the exciting opportunities that lie ahead for Federation TAFE in 2024.
Our campus in Baillie Street, Horsham has been reconfigured to accommodate a new engineering workshop and ancillary facilities, with safety and sustainability at the forefront of the design.
This will help support the local engineering industry and we’re looking forward to welcoming a new cohort of apprentices enrolled in the Certificate III in Engineering – Fabrication Trade.
We are also looking forward to starting our partnership with Longenerong College to develop a revitalised curriculum for the Certificate II, III and IV in Agriculture courses thanks to the State Government’s Agriculture TAFE and Training Fund, ATTF.
This is another important project which will deliver skilled graduates to one of our region’s core industries.
January is also a period where people may be in the ‘new year, new career’ mindset.
The days of staying in one job for life are over and it’s becoming increasingly common for workers to change jobs multiple times on their development journey and as they seek new challenges, with some studies suggesting Gen Z can expect to have half a dozen career changes during their working life.
With 2024 now upon us, perhaps you have been considering starting the new year afresh with either a change in job or by changing the industry you work in altogether.
Undertaking vocational education and training at Federation TAFE can help you to upskill to get the job you want, and taking advantage of a Fee-free TAFE course is a great way to change direction in your career and train to work in an in-demand sector.
Across Victoria, and the country, there are numerous occupations needing workers and facing skills shortages including construction, health services, and early childhood education and care.
The free TAFE initiative supports training in these and other high-demand areas by removing financial barriers to study.
Some restrictions on eligibility criteria for Free TAFE have also been removed, meaning prospective students can enrol in a free TAFE course no matter what previous TAFE or university qualifications they already hold.
Students are also able to undertake multiple free TAFE courses within the same career pathway – for example, in caring occupations, if you have completed a Certificate III in Individual Support you can enrol in the Certificate IV in Disability or the Diploma of Nursing.
Federation TAFE offers more than 25 free TAFE courses at Certificate and Diploma level as well as short courses.
With the recent announcement of more than 60,000 additional free TAFE places being made available in Victoria, there’s never been a better time to consider upskilling or retraining for the job of your dreams.