TAFE
TAFE the pathway to a positive future By Samantha Schofield Vice President
Recommendations outlined in the Productivity Commission‘s final report into the National Agreement on Skills and Workforce Development (NASWD), tabled in January 2021, have failed to recognise the enormous benefits that TAFE provides to students, the community, to employers and the economy, instead focusing on prioritising profit over public education. It is disheartening to read another report treating education with the lens of a business model motivated by financial “return on investment” and a clear preference for private providers. At a time when the world is in a global pandemic, now is the time to Rebuild with TAFE for a positive future. However, instead of recommending strong investment in public TAFEs and reducing barriers to access and engagement through vocational education, the Productivity Commission’s report promotes and recommends creating and imbedding barriers and exclusionary practises, which will serve the interests (and bank balances) of private providers and further entrench inequality across Australia. Some of the Productivity Commission’s recommendations include: • The Australian Government collecting unpaid VET student loans debts from deceased estates. There are also strong calls to pursue this reform for Higher Education Loan Program debts. • Screening can improve completion rates by ensuring better matching of prospective apprentices and employers, as well as by identifying any need for support services. State and territory governments should consider screening candidates before their apprenticeships commences … screening could be extended to other VET students if found to be cost effective. 12
Western Teacher March 2021
• The National Skills Commission to establish a national database of efficient course costs. • Enhanced data analytics capability to evaluate VET outcomes and investments. • State and territory governments should adopt the efficient costs and loadings currently being estimated by the National Skills Commission for setting their subsidies. • The National Skills Commission should work with federal, state and territory governments to produce a method for simplifying the large number of course subsidies. • The NSW and WA governments should cease fixing prices and student fees for VET courses. • The Australian government, in consultation with state and territory governments, should replace the existing VET student loans course eligibility criteria with a ‘blacklist’ of ineligible diploma and above courses. The blacklist should comprise only courses demonstrated, with evidence, to be leisure-related courses or courses with poor employment outcomes. • Certificate IV students should be issued VET student loans with the same repayment terms as those issued to students undertaking diploma and above courses. The full report and recommendations can be found at bit.ly/3c3szYv AEU President Correna Haythorpe said: “It is unbelievable that the Productivity Commission would recommend increased contestability and force TAFE to compete as ‘just another provider’ in the marketplace, when TAFE generates a staggering $92.5 billion in economic benefits each year, which is 16 times the annual cost of running the institution.” “The federal government must ditch its failed VET marketisation model. It
has seen billions of dollars of funding stripped from TAFE and millions of dollars funnelled into the pockets of dodgy private training providers,” she added. We know that TAFE works and that investment in TAFE is vital to assist with the economic re-build; to re-skill and upskill workers, address the apprentice shortage, reduce youth unemployment and provide career pathways for all Australians. Australians trust and support TAFE and know the system can help re-build our economy, but we need our governments and politicians to show that same support by investing in TAFE to rebuild Australia socially and economically. TAFE touches so many aspects of our society and economy from the arts and fashion, to construction, health and early childhood education, to opportunities for young people in rural and regional areas, and we cannot afford to lose it. We must Rebuild with TAFE for a positive future for all.
Rebuild with TAFE The AEU is calling on governments across the country to make TAFE their first priority as Australia looks to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic and tackle the country’s skills crisis. It has launched the Rebuild with TAFE campaign to call on governments to properly fund TAFE and maximise the system’s potential to assist with the economic re-build, re-skill and upskill workers, address the apprentice shortage, reduce youth unemployment and provide career pathways for all Australians. Discover more about how you can get involved by visiting rebuildwithtafe.org.au
