TAFE NSW Albury student Milla Strang on the way to a career in aged care

The TAFE NSW Albury student did her Year 10 schooling through TAFE last year before she enrolled in an aged care course.

She will be qualified to work in the aged care sector when she graduates later this year.

Milla, who was now doing her work placement at ESTIA Health Albury, enjoyed putting her new-found skills and confidence into practice.

"I have always enjoyed being around older people and thought this would be a career that enables me to give back to that generation," she said.

"I'm so happy to have mapped out a career path and I'm sure once I graduate, I'll find work in this industry.

"Through the course, I've learned about using lifters to help people move about, in and out of chair or bed.

"I'm more confident now and I've had some good laughs with the residents I'm working with."

Milla said it was a bonus that TAFE NSW training had been fee-free.

"I've just bought my first car so I've been able to put the money towards that," Milla said.

"I'd recommend people who enjoy working with people, consider training and working in aged care.

"It's nice to work in a job where you can make a real difference in someone's life."

Adult Learners Week, September 1 to 8, shines a light on how TAFE NSW broadens employment opportunities.

The Australian government estimates 44 per cent of Australians don't have the literacy skills needed to successfully navigate everyday life.

TAFE NSW Head Teacher for Employability Skills and Career Pathways, Ros Bauer, said the theme for Adult Learners Week, It's Never Too Late To Learn, complemented the focus on life-long learning at TAFE NSW.

"Education is for people of all ages and backgrounds, and at TAFE NSW we can tailor learning to suit the needs of our students, so they have the support and resources they need to succeed," she said.

"TAFE NSW Career Preparation and Advancement Courses build reading, writing and communication skills for both personal and professional development.

"We have students of all ages and stages of life who are just starting or re-starting their learning journey."

Adult Learning Australia president Kathleen Priestly said people with low literacy and numeracy skills could struggle with essential tasks that the rest of us take for granted and they were also likely to feel high levels of shame and powerlessness.

"We are encouraging people who might have given up on learning for any reason at all to have another go, no matter their background, previous education level and age," she said.

The federal government's plan to train, retrain or upskill Australians to tackle skills shortages filled all 180,000 Fee-Free TAFE places within six months.

The biggest winner is set to be the care sector, with courses across health care, aged care and disability care attracting more than 51,000 students or 23.8 per cent of enrolments.

These urgently needed care sector places will help address Australia's shortfall of care workers, which has been estimated to grow to a gap of 100,000 care workers nationwide by 2027-2028.

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