Just one per cent of people studying plumbing at TAFE finished their free course but the Victorian government claims many took up apprenticeships instead.
Just 18 of 1,514 students enrolled in the certificate IV in plumbing and services in 2019 and 2020 completed their course, according to data obtained by the state opposition under Freedom of Information laws.
Opposition spokeswoman Bridget Vallence – the shadow minister for Industry, Innovation, Manufacturing, Skills, Tertiary Ed and TAFE – found the low completion rates ‘astonishing’.
‘Courses in plumbing, construction, mental health and early childhood have incredibly low rates of completion, as low as one per cent of students finish their course, exacerbating the shortages of workers in these sectors,’ she said.
‘Labor has no chance of fulfilling its promise to build 80,000 new homes each year with so few students finishing their TAFE courses in building and construction.’
However, a state government spokesperson said students embarking on building industry courses regularly take up apprenticeships before finishing studies because that is the only way to become fully qualified.
Those who took up the offer of industry experience were recorded as a non-completion despite getting a job in the field while the overall TAFE completion rate was 53.7 per cent since free courses were introduced, they added.
‘Skilled workers are in high demand in Victoria, with ambitious housing targets, the Transport and Housing Big Builds and the state’s move to clean energy creating a need for skilled tradespeople right across the state,’ the spokesperson said.
The figures revealed one in 10 students completed their certificate IV in engineering and one in three finished their diploma in building and construction, while 17 per cent finished their certificate IV in child, youth and family intervention.
The completion rate was about 40 per cent for those enrolled in a certificate IV for ageing support, mental health, agriculture and the advanced diploma in building surveying, while 47 per cent completed their early childhood education diploma.
Free TAFE was rolled out in Victoria in 2018 and eligibility expanded in 2023 to anyone studying courses covering in-demand areas, regardless of prior education levels.