Recent reporting from The Weekly Times highlights a growing trend, more young Australians in regional and peri‑urban areas are stepping into the agriculture sector, signaling renewed interest in careers that are essential to Victoria’s prosperity, especially in regional economies.
This trend is mirrored in enrolment data from leading Victorian TAFEs, which show that agriculture course enrolments in the first three months of this year had almost surpassed the number of overall enrolments from 2025, even before the mid‑year intake.
Free TAFE Is Opening Doors
Many of these students are choosing qualifications such as the Certificate IV in Agriculture and Certificate III in Production Horticulture, both delivered under Free TAFE. This is strong evidence that Free TAFE is breaking down financial barriers, saving students an average of $3000. Public TAFEs and Free TAFE empower Victorians to upskill or reskill to pursue new opportunities even during financially challenging times.
Victorians Trust and Value TAFE
The strong enrolment data also reflects something deeper: Victorians’ strong confidence in the TAFE system. Research from McCrindle found that 56 per cent of Victorian parents trust TAFE and would encourage their child to explore TAFE pathways.
TAFE is also seen as a beneficial education pathway by the vast majority of Victorians. This research also shows that 75 per cent of Victorians think TAFE is beneficial to themselves, and 86 per cent of parents agree that TAFE is beneficial for their children.
Whether you’re reskilling, upskilling or entering vocational education and training for the first time, TAFE is for everyone.
These attitudes show that Victorians believe TAFE is integral to our future success and prosperity. It’s there for parents helping their children navigate future career pathways. It’s there for tradies upgrading their skills to keep pace with new technologies. It’s there for migrants building new lives and seeking a foothold in a new country.
The future of TAFE
TAFE in Victoria has seen massive change and also massive investments over the past decade. To understand what’s possible, we can turn to a vision of what TAFE could deliver with even greater support and investment.
Imagine a Victoria where practical, hands‑on skills and training are accessible to every learner, no matter their background, postcode or financial circumstances. A state where students can walk into a local TAFE campus and find modern workshops, industry‑standard equipment, cutting‑edge technology and contemporary facilities that mirror the workplaces they aspire to enter.
Imagine classrooms that feel like real-world job sites. Teachers equipped with the latest tools and training. Learners gaining the experience, confidence, and capability that employers need right now and into the future.
Imagine a Victoria where Free TAFE is expanded, opening doors for more people to gain qualifications in the industries like healthcare, construction, early childhood education, hospitality, agriculture, clean energy and more. Where the cost of study is no longer a barrier, and every learner has the chance to get ahead in secure, in‑demand careers that strengthen the services we all rely on.
A future where a student in Shepparton, Warrnambool, Mildura or Melton has the same access to world‑class training as someone in Melbourne, delivered close to home, supported by upgraded infrastructure, and backed by a system that believes in their potential.
That’s a future that becomes possible through a stronger, better‑resourced, and boldly expanded TAFE system.