What are technical colleges?

What are technical colleges?

A new pathway to starting your hands on career

High school… but different. Designed for students in years 10, 11 and 12, technical colleges give you everything you need to start your career (or continue studying!) in a growing industry as soon as you finish high school.

When you study at a technical college, you’ll graduate with:

• your South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE)
• VET qualifications
• practical work and employability skills
• real-world work experience
• everything you need to start work in a growing industry
• connections to employers and people working in the industry.

Skills and qualifications

Our technical colleges offer industry training programs co-designed with employer partners to give you the practical work skills that employers actually need.

These programs will give you:

• highly sought-after technical qualifications
• workplace experience with specialist staff and industry standard equipment
• the essential requirements needed to get your SACE.

Industry specialisations

Each technical college provides training programs for the industry specialisations needed for jobs in that region.

Our industry training programs:

• provide education designed with employers, registered training organisations and universities
• teach you the technical and employability skills needed to join the workforce or prepare you for further or higher education
• engage you in workplace-like environments and ways of working, giving you on-the-job experience while you study
• include industry projects and work experience with our employer partners
• create pathways to fast track you to apprenticeships, traineeships, jobs and university programs
• promote wellbeing and inclusion through mentoring and student support
• enable you to graduate with your SACE, as well as VET qualifications valued by workplaces.

Industries for now and your future

Findon Technical College opened in 2024 and is accepting applications now. You can study:

• advanced manufacturing and engineering
• early childhood and education
• health and social support.

Find out more about Findon Technical College.

Port Augusta Technical College will open in 2025. Students at the technical college can get a head start to a career in 1 of 4 in-demand industry specialisations:

• Civil, resources and infrastructure
• Health and social support
• Hospitality and tourism
• Multi-trades (for careers as plumbers, builders, electricians and boilermakers).

We'll announce the industry specialisations for each of our other technical colleges closer to opening.

Facilities that prepare you for a modern workplace

Learn in facilities specifically built like workplaces using industry-standard equipment. You'll get real, hands-on experience with the technologies you'll use every day in your career.

All high school students can apply

Our programs are designed for students in years 10 to 12. You can apply to a technical college no matter what high school you're currenting attending and you can choose your preferred college; school zones don't apply.