TAFE

There are many reasons to choose a TAFE course.

TAFE NSW offers many courses in many career areas.
Flexible learning options are available including part-time courses, evening courses and distance learning.
TAFE courses are vocational and provide career pathways.
TAFE courses can be a pathway to university

The content of courses run by TAFE is vocationally orientated and usually requires students to participate in practical placements in the workplace. Employers then know that TAFE graduates may have practical experience in applying their skills. TAFE graduates may be able to claim credit toward higher level TAFE qualifications and toward some university degrees.

Within TAFE NSW there are 10 Institutes at more than 130 metropolitan and rural campuses -sometimes campuses are called colleges.

In the Sydney metropolitan area there are 4 TAFE Institutes: Sydney, Western Sydney, Northern Sydney and South Western Sydney. Each Institute has their own website which can be accessed from the NSW TAFE website.

TAFE NSW courses have flexible delivery options, which means you can design a study schedule to suit your needs. [OTEN, the Open Training and Education Network offers distance education programs to help you study from away from campus www.oten.edu.au.

Not all courses are offered at each Institute. The TAFE website is comprehensive. If you prefer to look at a handbook, at each Institute you can pick up a hard copy of their handbook.

Support at TAFE for people with a disability

TAFE NSW has specialist Teacher/Consultants (TCs) for students with disabilities. It's a good idea to talk with a TC before you enrol in any course. Discussions with a TC are confidential. You may need to provide some documentation of your disability in order to get adjustments – the TC will explain to you what is needed.

It's important to think through what you want to disclose about your disability. The TAFE TC will explain your options to you. The section on Disclosure in this website can help you think through the process.

TCs provide a range of services to assist students these include helping you to choose an appropriate course, help with the enrolment process and help determining the appropriate classroom support and assessment modifications. The services provided may include tutorial support, the use of adaptive technology, a sign language interpreter, a note-taker or a disability assistant. These adjustments may also apply to students who have a temporary disability.

Different TCs have specialist disability areas – contact the TC relevant to your disability to discuss any assistance you may need, or just to find out about campus facilities or course requirements. To find the TC at the campus you are interested in, look on the TAFE NSW website. Each individual TAFE institute's website also has disability information (see Contacts).

TAFE entry processes

Check that you meet the entry requirements for the course. Before you can be considered for entry, you must meet all the entry requirements for the course or be accepted on the basis of a special admission. Entry requirements for courses can be found in the Find a Course section of the NSW TAFE website.

Some courses also require additional application procedures. You will need to find out whether you need to attend an information session, sit for a test, submit a portfolio of work or answer an additional questionnaire as part of the selection process.

Further Information: