About 30 vocational education and training courses and 18 pre-apprenticeship courses in Victoria will be free for students as the government tackles the skill shortage crisis.

However, TasTAFE chief executive Jenny Dodd said the organisation had not experienced the same price increases that other states had a number of years ago, which meant it was still an affordable option for students.

“The Tasmanian government has been a strong supporter of TasTAFE, allowing it to provide affordable training to meet the needs of individuals and industry,” she said.

“TasTAFE currently receives about 80 per cent of all the state’s training funding, and works closely with the State Government to ensure training is producing the skilled and capable workforce employers need.”

Ms Dodd said student demand was also a factor, with student interest at its information week in November appearing strong.

“Early indications are that the number of students expressing interest in a place is very strong, particularly in key priority areas,” she said.

“TasTAFE offers training across a number of sectors where there is high industry demand, such as hospitality, infrastructure and health and aged care.

“There are many job opportunities for TAFE graduates in these sectors and I’d encourage Tasmanians to consider TasTAFE for their current and future skills needs.”

Ms Dodd said TasTAFE remained committed to providing education in response to industry and student need, with the organisation increasing intake into courses that require it.

An example is Community Services Certificate IV, with more students allowed to participate in that course.

“TasTAFE is working with the government to increase the number of entry-level courses that prepare people for apprenticeships, in particular, the construction industries,” Ms Dodd said.

“This will help increase future apprentice numbers to address high demand in the infrastructure sector.”

A small fee increase raised the ire of the Labor Education spokeswoman Michelle O’Byrne and Skills and Training spokeswoman Anita Dow last week. It was revealed TasTAFE would increase its fees by up to 3 per cent on some courses, to align with CPI. Ms Dodd said she didn’t believe this would deter students, with significant concessions allowing about 47 per cent of students to pay no more than $350.”

”Most diploma course fees are covered by the Commonwealth VET Student Loans program, meaning costs are not a barrier to entry. These higher level qualifications generally lead to good job outcomes.”