Fears for TAFE administration jobs

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Labelled by critics as an attempt to dismantle the system, the Baird government's TAFE cut announcement has left more than just teaching staff in limbo in the Hunter.

In a plan to save on administration costs, the restructure will see ten independent institutes abolished and replaced with a central entity.

The Public Service Association (PSA), which represents the workers, says the vital assistance students need will be lost as thousands of support staff jobs are cut.

PSA Assistant General Secretary Steve Turner says regional areas like the Hunter will be most effected with these TAFE colleges helping develop young people and re-train those wanting to re-enter the workforce.

"Administrative staff are very important for the running of TAFE, they give students support, they give teachers support, classrooms support. They say they want to improve something and yet they're cutting the very staff that do those improvements."

Under the Baird Government's Smart and Skilled program there are already 86, 000 less students in Government funded vocational providers than in 2014, and additional reforms in 2015 raised fees by up to 81% which also drove students away.

"This is part of an announcement by a minister to try and grapple with the failure of the system that they've rolled out. They've rolled out Smart and Skilled to try and improve TAFE but all its done is put TAFE into contestability with private providers who run a leaner machine who run for profit. You can't put tertiary education into a profit model."

Major Changes Announced for Hunter Tafe

BY GABRIEL PARKER

Hunter TAFE will be folded into a single statewide institution as part of a plan to save on administration costs.

It follows an April report which found TAFE NSW spends up to 60 cents per dollar on administration and backroom tasks.

It's unclear what this will mean for Hunter jobs, but Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter Scot MacDonald says it's a positive step.

"I think this is long overdue, TAFE of twenty, thirty years ago the people are comparing with doesn't exist anymore. The workforce is very very different, we all understand that. It is very much a services growth economy these days. That means different courses, that means different modes of delivery.  I think we should look on the positive side of this. I think we can have an a lot more nimble, a lot more competitive TAFE going forward" he said.

Scot MacDonald

National TAFE Day 2016

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Today the TAFE Community Alliance is celebrating National TAFE Day, acknowledging the work of the teachers and educators who have made TAFE institutions what they are today.

The TAFE Community Alliance is calling upon the NSW government to re-support funding into TAFE institutions nationwide, to provide better education opportunities for students.

Linda Simon, spokesperson for the alliance, says that TAFE is the most important part of the vocational education and training system in Australia.

"When you see news come out from the governments or from the opposition party, too often they talk about the importance of schools, they talk about the importance of universities, but they don't recognise the importance of vocational education and training".

Simon says that both Labor and the Greens have election policies which call for a restoration of funding to TAFE and also recognise the importance of TAFE in the community. Simon also states that both parties call for various changes that will ensure Australian tax-payers do not continue to be ripped off millions by unscrupulous education providers.

"The Alliance acknowledges their attempts to 'right this wrong' before it is too late".

Minister to open $13.1 million upgrade at Kurri Kurri TAFE Campus

BY JESSICA ROUSE

Hunter TAFE’s Kurri Kurri Campus will be home to the largest and most high-tech automotive training facility in Australia, officially opening the $13.1 million dollar upgrade today.

The upgrade to the Plant, Heavy Vehicle and Auto Electrical Training Centre, forms part of the NSW Government’s commitment to vocational education and training in the Hunter.

The upgrade has been designed in collaboration with industry professionals to replicate the modern workplace, giving students the best experience possible. It includes upgrades such as a new auto electrical training facility, expansion of a large equipment workshop, four additional classrooms and six laboratories.

The upgrade will be officially opened by the Minister for Regional Development, Skills and Small Business John Barilaro MP who will be joined by a number of officials including Scot MacDonald, Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter and Central Coast, Bob Pynsent, Mayor, Cessnock City Council, Clayton Barr, Member for Cessnock, Jon Black, Managing Director of TAFE NSW and Hunter TAFE Institute Director, Christine Warrington.