COVID-19 updates

Please be aware that COVID-19 vaccination is an employment requirement for many healthcare providers.

CR TAFE students undertaking work placements or who are required to attend a healthcare or community setting as part of their studies are advised to check directly with the healthcare provider regarding their policy settings around vaccination and proof of vaccination requirements.

Students enrolled in courses that require them to undertake mandatory work placement with an employer in the following industry must be triple dose vaccinated prior to their work placement.

• Healthcare and health support workers in hospitals and primary health care settings
• Workers in residential aged care
• Workers in residential disability settings.

These students will be asked to provide evidence ahead of their work placement. The evidence will be collected and stored securely.

If students do not supply evidence, they will not be able to undertake the work placement component of the course, which may prevent them from completing the course. 

Please note, this evidence may also need to be shown to an employer during work placement, if applicable.

Based on the latest health advice, effective 12:01am Friday 29 April, WA’s public health measures will ease back to baseline settings.

For TAFE students, lecturers and staff it means: 

• Masks are no longer required at indoor venues including classrooms. Students and staff undertaking work placements in identified settings, including hospitals, aged care and disability care facilities, prisons and correctional facilities and airports, will need to continue to wear masks while at those facilities.
• While masks are no longer mandatory, masks are encouraged where physical distancing isn’t possible and you may still wear a mask if you wish.
• Students and staff using public transport or rideshares to get to campus must wear a mask while travelling.
• The proof of vaccination requirement has been removed for entry to all TAFE venues including our training restaurants and beauty therapy clinics.
• Vaccination requirements for employment and work placements remain.
• Travel to some remote Aboriginal communities will remain restricted to protect these more vulnerable communities.

WA has removed quarantine requirements for asymptomatic close contacts, students, lecturers, staff and visitors are reminded that for the seven days following their designation as a close contact, they are allowed to leave the house provided they have no symptoms and they:

• undertake daily Rapid Antigen Testing;
• wear a mask outside the home;
• avoid high-risk settings, including hospitals, health care settings, disability and aged care facilities and correctional facilities;
• work from home, where possible; and
• notify the college and their employer of their close contact status.          

Campuses continue to be cleaned regularly, with particular attention to high contact surfaces. Hand sanitiser is available across campuses in key locations. As always, please practise good personal hygiene – wash your hands often with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

We encourage you to continue to follow WA Government advice(opens in a new tab) . If you require any assistance, please contact our Client Services team by telephone (1300 996 573).  

• The mandatory vaccination policy is to protect WA and safeguard essential services and businesses for the long-term.  More information on the policy can be found here.
• Vaccination significantly reduces the risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19 and helps to reduce the rate of transmission.
• Based on health advice, TAFE colleges are included in Group 2 industries and occupations because they are deemed critical to the ongoing delivery of services to the community.
• The VET sector has significant interaction with Group 1 and Group 2 industries and occupations through the training of apprentices, trainees, schools and supervision of work placements.

• Any person who works on a TAFE campus must comply with the Public Health Act Direction.  This includes TAFE employees, co-located services and contractors, and students doing ‘live works’ on campus in Group 1 or Group 2 occupations.
• TAFE employees must: 
  • have their first dose on or prior to 31 December 2021 because from 12:01 am on 1 January 2022, a TAFE employee must not enter or remain at an TAFE campus if the person has not been partially vaccinated against COVID-19;
  • have their second dose on or prior to 30 January 2022 because from 12:01 am on 31 January 2022, a TAFE employee must not enter or remain at a TAFE campus if the person has not been fully vaccinated against COVID-19; or
  • have a medical or temporary exemption, as defined under the Directions.

• Students attending campus to study are exempt from this mandate unless they are doing ‘live works’ in a Group 1 or Group 2 occupation.

• The Public Health Act Direction makes mandatory vaccination a condition of the workplace to ensure TAFE campuses are safe places for the public to attend.
• There is no impact on visitors and students attending in a non-working capacity.

• Visitors will not need to be vaccinated to attend a TAFE campus.
• If a person attends a TAFE campus very regularly (ie. more than once a week) to carry out their work, they will need to be vaccinated in accordance with the requirements for Group 2 – first dose prior to 1 January 2022 and double dose vaccinated prior to 31 January 2022.
• This may include Department of Training and Workforce Development staff and contractors such as cleaners, hospitality workers, and maintenance workers.  

• If a person is required to be vaccinated under the Public Health Act Direction, they will be excluded from the workplace from 1 January 2022 if they haven’t had their first dose by that day.
• In addition, if a person is required to be vaccinated under the Public Health Act Direction, they will be excluded from the workplace from 31 January 2022 if they are not double dose vaccinated by that day.

• Yes, Jobs and Skills Centre staff working at TAFE campuses must comply with the Public Health Act Direction and be vaccinated in accordance with the timeframes for Group 2.

• The Public Health Act Directions provide for limited exemptions.
• Exemption on medical grounds must be obtained from the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) using their IM011 form.  This must be completed by your GP or specialist medical practitioners and submitted to the (AIR) for assessment. Where an exemption is provided by AIR, this must be provided to your employer as proof of exemption.
• A person may apply for temporary exemption from the Chief Health Officer.  Applications and supporting documentation must be submitted to COVIDVaccinationExemption@health.wa.gov.au.  A temporary exemption will only last for a limited time and may be subject to terms and conditions.

To support the efforts of keeping WA safe, we encourage you to download the State Government's free SERVICEWA app prior to visiting a campus. When you arrive at some of our facilities you will need to 'check in' via scanning a QR code before entering. If you don't have the app on your phone, you'll need to sign a printed registration form. 

This process is a requirement across various businesses in WA (including all TAFEs) from the 5 December. The app is an efficient and safe way to record patron and visitor contact details, to assist the WA Health Department with COVID-19 contact tracing. If needed, this will help them to quickly identify and assist anyone that may have been exposed to COVID-19.

Areas where you will need to scan the QR Code include:

• Cafes
• Training Restaurants
• Library areas
• Hair and Beauty Training Salons
• Campus events

Each QR Code is unique to assist in identifying specific locations. Students and visitors will need to register/scan themselves in each day that they enter one of the above areas.  Students do not have to register/scan if they are timetabled to attend the particular work area and are on the class attendance roll.  Likewise, staff will not have to scan/register in the above locations if they are scheduled to be working in those areas.  If however, staff or students visit one of the other areas where they do not normally work or study, they will need to register/scan each day they visit that location.

More information

Student Support Services

All campuses are open and continue to provide access to a range of support services including:

• Disability services
• Aboriginal support
• International support
• Client service front counter assistance
• Student services support
• Jobs and Skills Centre
• Me-N-U Cafe's - limited seating capacity due to Government requirements
• Library and student resource areas - (Please see additional information in the FAQs below)

More information about our student support services

We're committed to minimising risks on campus and have the below measures in place:

• 1.5 metre markers at all client services and public service points to adhere to social distancing requirements
• Additional cleaning of facilities especially in shared spaces and areas such as computer labs, counter tops, and bathroom facilities.
• Safe food handling and additional cleaning at our MeNu cafes at the Kalgoorlie, Geraldton and Northam campuses.

Other things to remember:

• If your attending classes on-campus, please remember the following:
• Only attend for the necessary errand/class and leave directly afterwards.
• Use the sanitising stations provided, wash hands regularly and maintain good hygiene.
• Maintain social distancing recommendations of at least 1.5m apart from other students or staff.
• If you are feeling unwell, please stay home. 
• Use card over cash where possible.