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."
