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Fee-Free TAFE

Fee Free Training

 

Fee-Free TAFE provides free training to people seeking to learn, retrain or upskill.

Fee-Free TAFE is a jointly funded initiative of the Commonwealth, state and territory governments. Eligibility criteria apply, approved students will need to pay for any learning resources such as textbooks or other equipment required for the course.

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Fee-Free TAFE in 2024

Fee-Free TAFE will continue at CIT in 2024 with 600 fee-free places available for Canberrans in each semester.

Prospective Fee-Free TAFE students are encouraged to apply early, as the number of places allocated in 2024 has reduced and are limited each semester.

As Semester 1 has commenced, there are only a select number of courses available for continuous enrolment.

Canberrans who identify as being part of an ACT priority learner cohort in their CIT Fee-Free TAFE application will be offered an available place first. Enrolments will be offered on a first-in, first-served basis.

Fee-Free TAFE 2024 eligibility

  • Eligibility criteria

    • To be eligible for a Fee-Free TAFE course at CIT in 2024, prospective Fee-Free TAFE students at the time of enrolment must:

      - be at least 17 years of age, not enrolled at school or another program leading to the completion of year 12

      - be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, permanent Australian resident or an eligible VISA holder

      - live or work in the ACT

      - not have enrolled in the course previously

      - meet the eligibility requirements of individual courses.

    • Anyone who identifies with at least one of the below learner cohorts, at the time of application, will be prioritised a Fee-Free TAFE place where one is available.

      - young people aged 17-24 years (not enrolled at school or another program leading to the completion of Year 12)

      - a Year 12 student aged between 17-24 years who has fulfilled the requirements of the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate, including all assessments (proof will be required)

      - Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples

      - people with a disability (prior to enrolment, you will be required to meet with CIT Student Support to discuss any supports required)

      - jobseeker/looking for employment however, you do not have to be in receipt of an income support benefit

      - unpaid carers

      - women experiencing financial hardship (additional information will be requested, applications will not be assessed until all information is provided)

      - women enrolling in non-traditional fields, including the Certificate II in Construction Pathways (CPC20220) and the Certificate II Electronics (UEE21920)

      - Veteran: An individual who is a current or former member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

    • If offered a Fee-Free TAFE place, applicants will be given a specific timeframe to enrol. If enrolment isn't completed within the timeframe, the Fee-Free TAFE place will be forfeited.

Fee-Free TAFE 2024 course list

The Course list below is not the full list of courses to be available in 2024. The list may be updated as courses are filled, if other courses become available. To apply for a course listed below, select the Course and then when you are on the Course Entry page, select Apply Now. When applications are open you will be able to apply by selecting the course and then when you are on the Course Entry page, selecting Apply Now.

Come along to the CIT Twilight Enrolment Session at CIT Bruce on Thursday 20 June 2024 from 4:00pm-6:30pm to speak to someone about Fee-Free TAFE.

Courses currently available for applications and enrolments

Courses expected to be offered in Semester 2 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who can access Fee-Free TAFE course?

    • Fee-Free TAFE is intended for new students to the course being offered. To be eligible for Fee-Free TAFE you must meet the eligibility criteria as well as the entry requirements for the course.

  • What are steps for Fee-Free TAFE at CIT?

    • Prospective 2024 Fee-Free TAFE students at CIT have six key steps:

    • Enquire: you can register your interest to enquire about a course
    • Apply: apply for the course you are interested in
    • Assess: CIT will assess your application against the eligibility criteria and course requirements. Note, check the CIT course page for 'entry requirements' such as undertaking a literacy and numeracy assessment.
    • Offer: if you meet the Fee-Free TAFE eligibility requirements, and places are available, you will receive an offer to enrol. Note, priority enrolment will be offered to students from the ACT priority enrolment groups that also meet the eligibility criteria and course requirements.
    • Enrol: enrolling into subjects is a critical step to securing your Fee-Free TAFE place in the course you applied for, if you delay, then you may miss out on a limited Fee-Free TAFE place.
    • Attend: attending and engaging in your subjects is the critical last step to keeping your Fee-Free TAFE place. If you do not commence or withdraw from your CIT Fee-Free TAFE course, you will lose your place and may be ineligible to enrol through this ongoing Fee-Free TAFE initiative.
    • If you disengage without contacting CIT Student Services, you may lose your Fee-Free TAFE course place.
  • How many Fee-Free TAFE places will be available in 2024?

    • Fee-Free TAFE places in 2024 are limited to 600 each semester.

  • If I'm currently studying at CIT, what does this mean for me?

    • Fee-Free TAFE is intended for new course enrolments, however, you do not need to be new to CIT.

  • What was the Fee-Free TAFE eligibility criteria in 2023?

    • There were two tiers of eligibility criteria for 2023 Fee-Free TAFE courses.

      Eligibility criteria for Tier 1 courses

      To be eligible for a Tier 1 Fee-Free TAFE course at CIT in 2023, students had to:
      - be at least 17 years of age, not enrolled at school or another program leading to the completion of year 12
      - be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, permanent Australian resident or an eligible VISA holder, and live or work in the ACT.

      Eligibility criteria for Tier 2 courses

      To be eligible for a Tier 1 Fee-Free TAFE course at CIT in 2023, students had to meet the Tier 1 eligibility criteria AND also be included in any of the following priority groups:
      - Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples
      - people with a disability
      - young people aged 17-24 years (not enrolled at school or another program leading to the completion of Year 12)
      - a Year 12 student aged between 17-24 years who has fulfilled the requirements of the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate, including all assessments (proof will be required)
      - jobseeker and/or in receipt of an income support benefit
      - unpaid carers
      - women experiencing financial hardship (additional information will be requested)
      - women enrolling in the Certificate II in Construction Pathways (CPC20220) or the Certificate II Electronics (UEE21920)
      - Veteran: An individual who is a current or former member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

      In addition to the above, students also had to meet the eligibility requirements of individual courses.

  • What support services are available to Fee-Free TAFE students?

    • To support your learning experience, CIT has a variety of support services available as part of your Fee-Free TAFE study.

      These free services are designed to support Fee-Free TAFE students to develop core skills, be job ready and confident in applying for work.

      Additional support services are prioritised for CIT Fee-Free TAFE students enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship pathway. The student success model includes personalised support from a dedicated CIT Contact Officer and Student Advisor.

  • How can I find out more about the course I'm interested in?

    • Register your interest using the form below or attend an information session to speak to teachers about the course. Find an information session here: https://cit.edu.au/citevents.

Need Careers Advice?

CIT offers a free career advice service to prospective and current students who are looking to gain more information about choosing the right course and career pathway.

Please complete the career advice enquiry form to book in a phone or video appointment with the CIT Career Advisor to determine the learning pathway that is a fit for you.

Need help?

Our Student Services team can help answer any questions you might have. Please call us on (02) 6207 3188 or email infoline@cit.edu.au

Register your interest

Complete the form below to register your interest to be notified of applications opening for Semester 2, 2024 Fee-Free TAFE places as soon as these details are available.

Fields marked with * are required.

First Name*
Last Name*
Email Address*
What Fee-Free course area are you interested in - that isn't listed above?*
What best describes you?
How did you find out about Fee-Free TAFE?*
I consent to receiving marketing emails from CIT about relevant course offerings?