Located in the heart of our vibrant city, Sydney Institute is one of Australia’s largest, oldest and most respected providers of vocational education and training.

We offer more than 800 courses, ranging from short programs to three-year advanced diplomas, in areas spanning traditional trades, such as automotive, engineering and refrigeration, through to business administration, health and fitness and environmental practice. We designed our courses to deliver the skills required by Australian industries. This ensures that our students develop skills and obtain qualifications that are sought after in the modern labour market.

Our courses also provide an efficient pathway to university study by offering students credit towards a degree. This saves you time and money.

Sydney Institute is committed to the international standard of ISO 9001:2000, a mechanism to link quality assurance and continual improvement throughout the organisation.
To meet the needs of our customers, we emphasise flexible learning options such as blended delivery. It enables students to combine part- or full-time study with online learning. Our aim is to train graduates with the skills required to meet the new and emerging needs of an ever-changing workplace.


We identify five key focus areas in Our Directions 2007 – 2010: customers, learning, staff, resources and business sustainability.

Established in 1891, Sydney Technical College adopted the motto “manu et mente”. This Latin phrase translates to “hand and mind” or “doing and thinking”. Our objective today, as it was in 1891, is to provide hands-on, practical training that is relevant to industry and our community.

In the 1890s, the College provided professional training in dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary science and engineering. At the turn of the century, Sydney Technical College focused on agriculture, mining and other primary industries. The College also trained skilled tradespeople, such as mechanical and civil engineers, chemists, cooks and printers.

During World War l and the post war period, the College changed to meet the needs of the times and offered courses in road and rail carriage building as well as repatriation courses, free to disabled services personnel. During World War II, Sydney Technical College turned into a combined teaching facility, factory and army camp, providing training under the Commonwealth Defence Training Scheme.

The 1950s and 1960s also saw a rapid growth in industry and the emergence of a new occupational category – the technician. The College provided training to technicians in areas as diverse as dental care, biomedical and office administration.

Through the 1970’s and 1980’s the teaching scope broadened dramatically and the focus was no longer just on vocational training and responding to industry needs. There was a growth in courses which emphasised the development of individual talents and access to education so leisure courses such as Calligraphy and Entertaining with Elegance were held. A large number of special programs were developed to help students overcome difficulties such as poor literacy or numeracy, intellectual disability or lack of previous educational opportunities. Sydney Institute still remained by far the largest college in the TAFE system but many regional and rural campuses flourished.

Its centenary was in 1991 celebrated the successes and history of Sydney Institute as well the growth of vocational education in NSW. From a relatively small college of just 300 students in the late 19th century, its enrolments in 1991 were 45,000.   More detail...