Overview
These days, a free tertiary education is something of a myth — your parents might have got it, you know some other countries offer it, but you've certainly given up all hope of getting any sort of affordable qualifications (particularly with the prospect of fee deregulation). But when the NSW Government released its 2018 budget back in June, it included some surprisingly good news: it is now free to complete selected apprenticeships in NSW.
As announced by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and outlined in the NSW Budget 18/19 papers, the State Government will put $285.2 million towards covering course fees for up to 100,000 TAFE courses and apprenticeships. All 121 apprenticeships currently funded under the government's Smart and Skilled program will be covered, and they're pretty varied, running from a Certificate IV in Commercial Cookery to a Certificate IV in Engineering. Most cost around $2000 to complete, so this will make a huge difference to prospective students who can't afford to foot the bill usually associated with studying.
To be eligible for the free courses, you have to be over 15 years old and either an Australian or New Zealand citizen, a permanent resident or hold a humanitarian visa. The decision to make these courses free comes off the back of a similar promise from the Victorian Government to make 30 new courses fee-free from next year. The free courses in Victoria are a little broader in scope, though, and include qualifications in nursing, accounting and mental health.