If you’ve left school and don’t want to go on to uni or TAFE there are other options for you to continue studying or training. And if you’re a mature age student or an early school leaver there are different paths you can take to tertiary study.
Short courses
Short courses are a great way to learn new skills without making a long-term commitment to study. You can do a short course at uni, TAFE or an independent tertiary college.
The Short Courses Victoria (new window) website has heaps of courses listed and you can search for these by course providers or area of interest.
Apprenticeships and traineeships
Apprentices and trainees get to ‘earn while they learn’ through a combination of on-the-job training and study at TAFE or another training provider.
Visit our Jobs & Careers section for lots of info on apprenticeships and traineeships.
Distance education
If you can’t find a suitable education or training provider in your local area you can study by distance education. You can study in your own time and check in with your tutor by phone or email.
The Distance Education Centre of Victoria (new window) offers distance education for primary and secondary school students.
For TAFE courses there’s the TAFE Virtual Campus (new window) and for uni courses there’s Open Universities Australia (new window).
Mature age study
Anyone who is over 18 and has been out of full-time education for at least a year is called a ‘mature age student’. If you don’t enrol in a tertiary course in your first year out of secondary school you’ll be considered a mature age student when you return to study.
Entry requirements for uni or TAFE courses can be different for mature age students.
Check out the Non-year 12 applicants (new window) section of the VTAC website for more info.
You can also make a Mature Age application through VTAC's Special Entry Access Schemes (SEAS) (new window).
The Mature Study website for Victoria has details on the tertiary institution services available for mature age students with a disability (new window).
Early school leavers
If you left school before finishing Year 11 and 12 you can enrol in VCE or VCAL at TAFE or another training provider.
You can apply through the Centre for Adult Education (new window) or search for a course provider on the Victorian Government’s Adult Education in the Community website (new window).
If you’re under 20 the Victorian Government's Youth Guarantee (new window) guarantees you a place at a TAFE or another training provider to complete Year 12 through VCE or VCAL.
Another option is to study online through Open Universities Australia (OUA) (new window). There are no pre-requisites to enrol in an undergraduate degree with OUA – this means you don’t have to have finished Year 12.
The choice is yours
As you can see there are heaps of educational choices outside the more traditional university and TAFE options. And remember - if you pick a course and it doesn't work out for you, or it isn't giving you what you thought it would, you can always change your mind. Check out our Changing your mind section for more.
