JOBS and courses at Sunraysia TAFE could be cut if the State Government agrees with a recommendation to slash funding, according to the Victorian TAFE Association.
TAFE institutes statewide could suffer losses of between $4 million and $7 million each, over four years, if the government followed the recommendation for cuts, Victorian TAFE Association executive director David Williams, said yesterday.
But Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall said the association was “scare mongering”.
Mr Williams said the cuts were the government’s answer to a $200 million over spend on vocational training last year.
Totalling $230 million statewide over four years, Mr Williams said the budget squeeze would result in course closures, fewer places and staff redundancies.
“The cuts would amount to the biggest single funding cuts to the sector in its 120-year history,” Mr Williams said.
“If these cuts went ahead the institutions would seriously have to look at the scope and breadth of services they were able to provide.
“They would have to look at some programs being curtailed, or cut and some services could be in danger if it becomes unviable to operate.
“Students may not be able to do the course that they want to do for their future career. It may not be offered at their institute.
“What we’re trying to say (to the State Government) is, ‘don’t go down that path’.”
Mr Williams said funding cuts would force students locally to either move away to study or choose a private education provider.
Mr Hall said the Victorian TAFE Association was getting ahead of itself.
“The association is jumping at shadows in response to this issue and is scare mongering,” he said.
“What they are suggesting is that one of the recommendations of the Essential Services Commission inquiry into fees and funding would be implemented.
“No decision to do that has been made by government, but moreover, a further recommendation suggests that public providers should be fully funded for community service obligations.
“That means that for public providers like TAFE, if the cost of delivery is higher than private providers for reasons of being a public institution, that should be recognised and separately funded.
“The government would not proceed with this project in isolation.”
Mr Hall said there were other offsetting recommendations in the report if the government was to accept it.
“The whole Essential Services Commission report was about having transparency in funding.”
Instead of considering cutting TAFE funding, Mr Williams believes the State Government should “weed out” the shonky privately run operators in the marketplace and stop funding them while building TAFE as the backbone of Victorian skills system.
“The State Government has a recommendation before it to consider taking the TAFE delivery rate to the same as the private sector rate,” Mr Williams said.
“The State Government has a different funding rate to the TAFEs.
“In the large metropolitan institutes it’s already made the decision and implemented the decision to cut 25 per cent of the difference between TAFE and the private sector rate .
“They did that in November last year.”
The difference, he said, was about $1.50 per student per contact hour.
“It has a recommendation to, over four years, reduce that TAFE rate progressively for all TAFEs, metropolitan and regional – ending up being the same price.
“What people don’t generally see is that TAFE is more expensive to run.”
Mr Williams questioned why the government would “damage its own public TAFE providers”, and continue to support so many operators providing training for jobs that did not exist.
He said people power could help ensure the recommendation wasn’t passed.
“They can make a noise to their local Member.
“Say, ‘don’t cut the pay funding’, and make it known to the local Member that you don’t support TAFE campuses being financially disadvantaged.”
This article appeared in Saturday’s Sunraysia Daily 04/02/2012.
Email a friend