What is the difference between
"TAFE", "VET" and "University"?

TAFE and VET TAFE stands for "Technical and Further Education". VET stands for "Vocational Education and Training".  They essentially mean the same thing.  Most people use the term TAFE, because most of the institutions offering this kind of education are the government-funded TAFE colleges which are near to where they live. Please note, however, that there are other private registered training organisations that provide VET and also many universities, including Charles Darwin University also offer VET courses.  "VET" is the official government term for this kind of education. The primary focus of TAFE/VET is to provide education and training that is aimed at meeting the vocational (employment) needs of students, industry and business. TAFE/VET studies range in level from short training courses to "certificates", "diplomas" and "degrees".  Most TAFE/VET courses are usually more practical than theoretical. Most TAFE/VET courses are designed so that students with prior expertise in their area can start the course at a level appropriate to their skills and abilities. University The Universities have two roles: research and teaching. The international family of universities is at the forefront of humankind's search for knowledge, and the universities take on the responsibility of passing on this knowledge through the teaching of the "degrees" and "diplomas" they offer. The Universities offer a wide range of courses at all levels. University courses have a strong theoretical focus. Many university degrees are directly linked to careers and professions, such as engineering, computing, accounting and medicine. Other university degrees may not have direct links to specific careers, but provide high level teaching in a rich variety of academic areas. These are called "generalist" degrees and include arts and science. Their great value is they way that they teach students to research, think through problems, come to logical conclusions and communicate these effectively to others, and graduates of these courses are able pursue excellent careers because of the skills they learn through their studies. TAFE/VET applications through SATAC SATAC receives and processes applications for admission to the TAFE/VET courses offered by TAFE SA.  TAFE SA is a State Government funded and supported training system which provides most of South Australia's vocational education and training. TAFE SA also offers apprenticeships and traineeships, purpose-built training packages and short courses but applications for these are not processed through SATAC. Charles Darwin University is the biggest supplier of VET in the Northern Territory.  Applications for VET at Charles Darwin, however, are made direct to the University   University applications through SATAC SATAC receives and processes applications for admission to courses offered by the four Commonwealth Government funded universities in South Australia and the Northern Territory: Charles Darwin University (NT) Flinders University of South Australia The University of Adelaide University of South Australia

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