Monday, May 23, 2011

quicko: TAFE

TAFE -- who knows what it stands for -- is Australian "tertiary" education -- i.e., past high school, but not really what I'd call college.  It's a bit like a vocational school or a community college -- but, depending on your social circles, possibly without such a stigma.

4 comments:

Laetitia :-) said...

Technical And Further Education

So, while everyone just refers to it as "TAFE" all the individual TAFE colleges will have College or Institute in their names. I'm currently doing a Diploma of Accounting through Brisbane North Institute of TAFE (gets shortened to BNIT - so even the acronym of TAFE gets shortened). It's possibly the equivalent of your community colleges but having never used your system, I can't be sure.

It is tertiary but it's not university level; so they don't offer degrees. The Diploma will allow me to call myself a bookkeeper but not really 'accountant' (although the National Institute of Accountants would accept a Diploma for base membership).

Laetitia :-) said...

Oh, and it's tertiary but also not tertiary; some courses can be entered after Year 10, rather than Year 12 (although some of these will recommend at least Year 12 or work experience).

It can also provide a pathway into university for students who miss out on a place in the regular uni intakes - some uni's will also give some credit towards their degree programmes if the student has done related courses at TAFE. So, for instance, some uni's may give me credit towards some of their accounting subjects for having done a Diploma of Accounting if I decide to get the Bachelor of Accounting at some point later.

Crazyjedidiah said...

Technological And Further Education

KIM said...

http://chronicle.com/blogs/worldwise/on-metaphysics-vocational-degrees-and-vegemite/28258 Interesting about that degree issue ... seems it may be heading that direction ...