There's good news for individuals wanting to upskill or enter a new occupation in health and community services.

From Term 3, 2022, Charles Darwin University will be waiving all fees for students enrolling in a number of VET courses in early childhood education, certificate courses in individual support, community services, fitness, mental health, allied health, health services assistant and Alcohol and Other Drugs.

The new initiative is intended to better support workforce shortages in aged care, mental health, early childhood education and other health disciplines after substantial pressure on these industries due to the pandemic.

In a recent article on CDU's website, Associate Dean VET Chrissy Zelley said CDU was keen to support the industry by providing a pipeline of workers ready to fill vital positions in health and community services.

“We know that fees may deter some students from opting to study and start a career path in health and community services, which in turn may slow down workforce recovery efforts, which is why we are removing the barriers and making it easier on students and on industry,” Ms Zelley said.

“There is a huge shortage of early childhood educators, aged care workers and mental health professionals in the Territory, so the more students we can get in to study, the more we can get out to industry and fill the gaps.”

The community services fee waiver is only available to domestic Australian students. The fee waiver is available to students commencing in Term 3 from July 1 to December 31 2022.