Victorian TAFE and adult education providers will begin welcoming back tens of thousands of students to onsite learning today, after the state hit its 80 per cent double dose target.

Fully vaccinated Victorians can now take full advantage of the high-quality skills and training opportunities offered on campus, as providers start to reopen in line with health advice. The return of onsite learning will also allow students to complete assessments to progress their training and reach their career goals.

Even more Victorians studied in the TAFE and training system during the pandemic, with enrolment growth of up to 25 per cent among unemployed people, Indigenous and CALD Victorians, people with disability, women and young people.

While the pandemic has posed significant disruptions to onsite learning, it has also highlighted the resilience and agility of the Victorian skills and training sector which has continued to provide world-class learning opportunities and support around 55,700 students to graduate from their course this year.

Melbourne Polytechnic upskilled its 1,400 staff to deliver remote and flexible learning and provide significant online resources to ensure almost all its 9,000 students could continue their studies throughout 2021.

South West TAFE designed extra materials to help VCAL students develop practical skills normally obtained in the classroom, and partnered with Australian beauty product suppliers to provide online workshops for hair, beauty and massage students.

Throughout the pandemic, the Andrews Labor  Government has supported TAFEs with $123.1 million in Business Continuity Grants and $62.7 million in Crisis Funding, as well as $786.8 million to create 80,000 new training places over four years and increase access to Victorians disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Since 2014, the Labor Government has made a record $3.2 billion investment to rebuild TAFE and support universities and higher education so Victorians have access to high quality education and rewarding career pathways.