Technical and further education

In Australia, where the term TAFE originated, institutions usually host qualifying courses, under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/VET Quality Framework.

Fields covered include business, finance, hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, visual arts, information technology and community work.

[1] In many instances, TAFE study at a Diploma or above level can be used as partial credit towards bachelor's degree-level university programs.

As of June 2009, ten TAFE colleges (mainly in New South Wales [2] and Victoria, but also Western Australia, ACT, and Queensland) now confer their own degree-level awards and post graduate diplomas, though initially not beyond the level of bachelor's degree.

Most TAFEs are given a locally recognised region of the country where they exclusively operate covering a wide range of subjects.

For example, the Trade and Technician Skills Institute in Brisbane, from 1 July 2006, has specialised in automotive, building and construction, manufacturing and engineering, and electrical/electronic studies for students throughout Queensland and the William Angliss Institute of TAFE in Melbourne has specialised in food, hospitality and tourism courses for Victoria.