The suite of online courses provided an opportunity for NSW residents to gain new skills at the height of the pandemic, and were fully funded by the NSW Government.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said people who enrolled in a TAFE NSW short course during the pandemic were putting the skills to good use.

“We know how important skills training is for driving the State’s economy and it will play a crucial role coming out of the COVID pandemic,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“The NSW Government’s COVID-19 fee-free short courses have delivered an opportunity to upskill during COVID-19 as well as deliver a meaningful boost to workplaces across the State.”

Achievements of the COVID-19 support fee-free short course program include:

• a total of 115,537 enrolments
• 27 per cent of students were studying with TAFE NSW for the first time
• between 10 and 15 per cent of first time TAFE NSW students intend to undertake further study with the public training provider
• the most popular course in the first tranche was the Statement of Attainment in Medical Administration Skills.

Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee praised TAFE NSW for its seamless delivery of the program.

“I want to congratulate TAFE NSW for the way they delivered this initiative. To hit more than 115,000 enrolments in a single program in such a short time is truly a remarkable result. I hope the courses have assisted people during this difficult time.” Mr Lee said.

The program closed to new enrolments at the end of last month.