Study options

Learn in a classroom environment that gives you the opportunity to interact with your lecturer and fellow students in person, as well as collaborate with a range of training areas. Access our comprehensive campus facilities including cafeterias, libraries, purpose-built study spaces, student support services and amenities. Our campuses are in areas that offer good public transport links, and every campus has free Wi-Fi available for students.  

Several courses labelled online are available to study fully online and some can start anytime or start when semester or term starts.

For part-time online study, you're encouraged to begin with a handful of units at a time, so your progress can be closely followed and support can be offered throughout your study journey.

Online study guide (334 KB) (PDF document - opens in a new tab)

Some courses are available online with practical assessment opportunities on-campus to allow for the recognition of practical requirements of skills required to complete our courses and be ready to work. 

Other courses allow for much of the study to be completed within the workplace or at home, with reduced attendance at campus to allow for busy lifestyles and to build advanced skills for existing workers.

Get in touch with your lecturer to discuss when and where you can attend to complete the practical needs of your course.

Online and on campus study guide (337 KB) (PDF document - opens in a new tab)

Full-time courses require approximately 12 to 25 hours of classroom study per week (normally throughout the day) as well as further personal time. Most full-time qualifications lead to a nationally recognised certificate, diploma or advanced diploma within six to twelve months and they can then be used to progress to further study or enter relevant careers. Some apprenticeships, skill sets and short courses can also be full-time, if they usually require a substantial number of hours in one week of tuition. 

Part-time study is the perfect option for people seeking to obtain specific skills or unable to undertake a full-time study load due to other commitments. Study time can range from a few hours on a single day or night to three to four days a week. 

Part-time study can be specifically scheduled to run at times that suit busy lifestyles, such as evening classes, weekends or or half-days. Scheduled part-time classes will have units and timetables that are pre-planned for you. Closer to semester start, additional places may become available in some courses that have not been filled with full-time students. Visit our part-time courses page to find out more.

A skill set is a great way to complete units of competency in short blocks of study. Like a short course, a skill set can be studied part-time or full-time but has a much shorter duration.

Skill sets are designed to allow you to pick up blocks of units and build your skills in a pathway to a full qualification, while allowing you to continue working full-time or away. They are also ideal in helping businesses fill skills gaps quickly or in assisting employees to aim for their next career step.

Skill sets can be full-time when they involve more than 12 hours tutorial time a week, or part-time for any other shorter attendance per week. They can vary in duration from one or two days to 10 weeks, depending on how regularly you will be required to study.

Short courses help you build skills for enjoyment or to explore your passions.

A short course generally doesn't have any units of competency. In some cases, short courses include non-accredited units accompanying just one or two nationally accredited units of competency, to help students gain accreditation or workers gain licensing by industry bodies for safety or industrial purposes.

Short courses can be full-time when they involve more than 12 hours of tutorial time a week, or part-time for any other shorter attendance per week. They can vary in duration from one or two days to 10 weeks, depending on how regularly you will be required to study.

Our industry-recognised apprenticeship and traineeship programs combine on-the-job work experience with practical education, training and development. To become an apprentice or trainee, you need to be employed and registered as an apprentice or trainee with a contracted study plan in place.

Discover how you can find an employer with our 'How to become an Apprentice or Trainee' article.

Our Jobs and Skills Centres team is available to assist you become apprenticeship or traineeship ready. They can work with you and your employer to put you in touch with an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider to prepare a training contract.

Once signed by you, your employer and us as the registered training organisation, the training plan is used to enrol you into your study plan units and begin your call up to campus. To find out more about the call up process, visit the info for apprentices and trainees page.

VETDSS stands for Vocational Education and Training Delivered to Secondary Students.

We offer courses across many industries to secondary students on our own campuses and at selected secondary school locations. Choosing a VETDSS pathway means you can make school more interesting and relevant to you while kick-starting your career with recognised qualifications.

Graduate with your Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) and have the choice to continue in your TAFE studies, or move into a higher education course.