State governments arew wrecking the TAFE system and cuts to TAFE institutes in regional areas will have major social and economic consequences say education experts.
“They’re cutting out rungs in the education ladder,” said Leesa Wheelahan, associate professor at Melbourne University’s LH Martin Institute.
“The government is positioning TAFE as being just another provider. TAFE is more than that, it’s part of the economic and social fabric of local communities,“ Professor Wheelahan said.
According to a cabinet-in-confidence document leaked to the media last night, widespread cuts to staff numbers, course offerings and spending are on the way in Victoria.
The report, which details “transition plans” from Victorian TAFEs, shows regional institutes will be among the hardest hit.
It comes after the Ballieu government cut $300 million from TAFE in the May budget, NSW flagged 800 TAFE job cuts, and Queensland’s Newman government flagged $80 million in cuts to TAFE in the Queensland budget.
“TAFEs are an important part of regional Australia and country areas. The loss of jobs and access to courses will be a concern, but there’s a much bigger concern,” said Stephen Dinham, chair of Teacher Education and director of Learning and Teaching at University of Melbourne.
“Every year we can keep people in education reduces things like anti-social behaviour and the crime rate,” Dr Dinham said.
“There are a number of US states that make their predictions for prison cells needed on the basis of the high school dropout rate.”
TAFE has historically always played a “second chance” role for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, said Professor Wheelahan.
The NSW and Victorian governments have both flagged removing non-performing courses, with the Victorian cabinet document highlighting several TAFEs plan to cut hospitality courses.
Course reductions come despite the OECD this week reporting as many as 85% of 25-64 year-old Australians who have attained vocational education were employed in 2010 – the second-highest level among OECD countries.
“Hospitality is one where students from a disadvantaged background use it as a stepping stone,” Professor Wheelahan said.
She said the funding of private vocational education led to a flood of poor courses in hospitality and tourism.
“The government’s response has been to cut back subsidies so institutions that are serious about education can’t deliver it at the rates it’s being funded.”
Professor Dinham said it was important to remember the benefits of having an educated population, particularly in low socio-economic and regional areas.
The cuts come as the government has released a report recommending the university sector do more to close the gap in the representation of indigenous students, aiming to grow it from 1.09% to 2.2%.
“Were seeing money coming out of technical and further education at the same time as people are promising new superhighways and prisons. It’s a matter of working out our priorities,” Professor Dinham said.
Andrew Farran
publicist
Agree, The harm these actions will cause in the regions may be incalculable in the long run. The TAFEs have a social and cultural function as much as an educational one. Not all country students are high flyers academically but without some skills and wider education they will drift to the cities and become rootless and disaffected. The loss of population in the towns and on farms will be compounded. The Victorian government's handling of the TAFE issue is short sighted and uninformed, lead by city bureaucrats and monetarists. All this is happening in the face of Parliamentary inquiries advocating the need for more educational opportunities in rural areas and in favour of decentralisation.
this is to to say that some TAFE courses couldn't do with improvement or better relevance to industry. But these policies amount to putting an axe through delicate social fabrics.
Andrew Farran
publicist
Correction to my last sentence whioh should have read:
This is not to say that some TAFE courses couldn't do with improvement or better relevance to industry. But current policies amount to putting an axe through delicate social fabrics.
lawyer tasha
lawyer
Thanks for Agree,The harm these actions will cause in the regions may be incalculable in the long run. The TAFEs have a social and cultural function as much as an educational one. Not all country students are high flyers academically but without some skills and wider education they will drift to the cities and become rootless and disaffected. The loss of population in the towns and on farms will be compounded. The Victorian government's handling of the TAFE issue is short sighted and uninformed, lead by city bureaucrats and monetarists. All this is happening in the face of Parliamentary inquiries advocating the need for more educational opportunities in rural areas and in favour of decentralisation.
Ben Cullen
logged in via Facebook
In all of the recent government reports about TAFE I have read, they are justifying their decision largely based on 2010 figures even though 2011 figures have been available for some time.
If 2011 had been included it would have shown a significant increase in efficiency, profitability and growth at TAFE. With some further fine tuning and government support it could be the envy of Australia.
I have never heard of any business cutting back during a period of expansion so perhaps our political leaders might want to enrol in a TAFE business studies course to up-skill. They seem to struggle with basic business concepts.
I also question the ethics of our political leaders by focusing on 2010 as an example of inefficiencies when this was a disrupted and traumatic period for Queenslanders because of the weather. To then use 2010 as an excuse to sack Queenslanders is immoral.
petpost
logged in via Twitter
Very good post TAFE cuts will harm the economy, boost crime rate,In all of the recent government reports about TAFE I have read, they are justifying their decision largely based on 2010 figures even though 2011 figures have been available for some time.I also question the ethics of our political leaders by focusing on 2010 as an example of inefficiencies when this was a disrupted and traumatic period for Queenslanders because of the weather. To then use 2010 as an excuse to sack Queenslanders is immoral.thanks for.
Gavin Moodie
Principal Policy Adviser
Notwithstanding the very bad press that the Victorian Government suffered from its Tafe cuts the NSW Government cut Tafe and the Queensland Government is in the middle of a review stacked by private providers whose interim report foreshadows even bigger cuts to Tafe. This suggests that the current arguments against Tafe cuts are ineffectual and that advocates should either develop new arguments or plan for an emasculated Tafe.
Jack Arnold
Director
The cuts to TAFE are a sideshow to the real agenda that is protecting the middle class charity to private schools in a finite state & Federal education budget.
All governments over the last 20 years regardless of political affiliation have attacked TAFE staff numbers, pay rates, working conditions, anything to obfuscate the real problem that is ... propping up a generally second rate academic private school system that has received state funding for over 50 years to bring private schools up to the same academic standard as public schools. The process has failed for many reasons.
Woolworths does not subsidise Coles so government should not prop up the competition that by now should have sufficient financial resources & management skills to maintain their swimming pools, equestrian centres & extensive playing fields from their own income on rate free land often located in expensive residential metro suburbs.
projectcoach
logged in via Twitter
I have no problems with TAFEs per se.
Read moreI do have problems with the vocational training bureaucracy as a whole, and with TAFEs' bloated, publicly funded, protected mediocrity.
With TAFEs', in the areas of mediocrity in courses, in level of competence in teaching of many presenters and lecturers, and protection of their position by not engaging with private providers who may be niche, but who provide far better content, learning strategies, and innovation, but who do not have the marketing budgets…
Ralph Bennett
Geologist
Just signed the TAFE petition.
But it is time for green labour left types to get a grip on population growth.
As governments quarantine expenditure on growth infrastructure for real estate development,
they are slashing our future prosperity by massive cuts to education, health and science research.
Do we need any more evidence of the toxic effects of population growth of over 1 million
more people
over the next 3-4 years ? Note that on average, each one of these extra persons will be consuming more
than they are producing.
A business model change is required to work within stable population numbers and increase R & D for the
“big” export market .
The lie that population growth works is falling apart, as assets are sold off and still we can’t balance the budget.
Best regards,
Ralph
Tony P Grant
Neo-Mort
The private sector are already "upping course prices" this is all about more "private enterprise" the whole education system will be in their sights!