He returned home to the Border and looked into TAFE NSW courses.

It is an education move he would recommend to anyone.

Mr Osborne now has a diploma of organic farming, which he completed at the National Environment Centre in Thurgoona, and has moved into university studies.

“It’s a one of a kind thing we’ve got out there, putting a lot of practical skills into a course I think is great,” he said.

A few former students were back at TAFE NSW’s Albury campus on Saturday for an open day, joining staff to talk to the next group of prospective enrollees.

“TAFEs offer a great place for skills to be learned that compliment and can sometimes actually override what you learn at university,” Mr Osborne said.

“I think that’s a great lesson and more people should actually look at doing TAFE.”

The open day also featured live music, hair and beauty demonstrations, a classic car display, a mobile GPS scavenger hunt, an Aboriginal art display and drone technology.

TAFE services manager Mark Guiney said the event was the first opportunity to showcase what was on offer since TAFE Riverina became part of TAFE NSW.

He said one of the big features was the digital focus of the campus, which allows Albury students access to high-level content from anywhere in the state, including virtual reality technology.

“We’re capable of doing fully online, fully face-to-face or a blend of both of those, which is particularly good for people in regional areas,” he said.

“We have the capacity to transfer these experts in.

“Not only do we have those existing courses, we can bring new ones in.”

In the March 2018 quarter, Albury’s unemployment rate was 10.62 per cent, which Mr Guiney said showed the importance of TAFE.

He said courses could be used for people looking for a change in career or as a starting point before university.

“It’s not just about kids going into university courses,” he said.

“TAFE is an option for people coming through who don’t particularly need a degree.”