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    Media release

    TAFE NSW Goulburn | 21 May 2025

    Two individuals seated on a bench outdoors, engaged in conversation in a grassy area with trees and parked cars in the background. One wears a white shirt and jeans, the other a denim jacket with a backpack.

    Goulburn youth find purpose

    “Every day I see each student take control of their own learning – it’s a joy to see.”

    Christopher Worland

    A growing number of vulnerable young people in Goulburn are turning to TAFE NSW to gain essential skills key to helping launch their next chapter in life.

    The Certificate II in Career Preparation offered at TAFE NSW Goulburn is helping local youth who have not finished Year 10 to gain critical skills and confidence to kickstart their careers or continue their education.

    The course helps students improve their literacy, numeracy, communication, and technology skills, understand workplace practices, apply for jobs, and prepare for job interviews.

    The Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan (centre), stands smiling between students Alice Hale (left) and Nathaniel Davis (right) at TAFE NSW Goulburn. They are in a library setting, with bookshelves full of educational materials in the background.

    While some of these students find high school difficult for various reasons, TAFE NSW Goulburn’s completion rate is impressive – 96 per cent in 2024, up from 89 per cent the previous year.

    Local TAFE NSW teacher Christopher Worland says the adult learning environment is the key to success for many of these students.

    “The Certificate II in Career Preparation is helping enhance the lives of young people who have faced social or behavioural challenges at school and in the community, or who have discovered mainstream schooling just didn’t work for them,” Mr Worland said.

    “It gives them a fresh opportunity to grow their literacy, numeracy, and communication skills, and the tools to enter the workforce or continue their education.

    “The flexibility of the TAFE NSW environment and our interactive, practical learning methods are big contributors to the course’s popularity and our high completion rate.

    “All our current students are young people who have left school early, and every day I see each take control of their own learning – it’s a joy to see. My colleagues and I are lucky to witness firsthand the transformational impact this course is having on the lives of young people in our community.”

    The Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan, said, “We know providing young people with the opportunities and skills they need to succeed in life and at work is critical to driving the future prosperity of local communities, particularly in regional areas.”

    “The Certificate II in Career Preparation delivers a practical pathway for young people to enter the job market or continue their vocational education and training with confidence. To see its success emphasises the need for courses like these that equip our young people with essential skills for life.”

    “The growth in the TAFE NSW Goulburn completion rates is proof that quality education and training can overcome the barriers of distance and disadvantage.”

    Find out more about the Certificate II in Career Preparation on the TAFE NSW website.

    Media contact: Rob Virtue, TAFE NSW Communications Specialist, 02 7920 5000.

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