TAFE, AMES and Corrective Services

TAFE

TAFE is the pre-eminent provider of vocational education and training in Australia. However, this is under serious threat due to moves by the Federal Government to divert funding from TAFE to competitive tendering models, to fund individuals rather than the TAFE system and to create illusionary alternatives to TAFE including Australian Technical Colleges (ATCs). Conference is also concerned at the lack of a real vision or plan for transitional education for students from school to work or further education. The growth of alternative education pathways such as trade schools, school based apprenticeships and traineeships suggests an ad hoc and confused approach rather than the development of well thought-out options for secondary students.

Conference is also concerned at the continuing lack of funding attached to new government initiatives in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, and the consequent impact on workloads and cuts to other TAFE programs.

Conference welcomed the research undertaken on TAFE through the National TAFE Inquiry, and will support the continuing work around the outcomes from the Inquiry.

During this Federal election year, support for TAFE is even more important, given the failure of the major parties, to date, to commit additional funding to TAFE.

The Howard Government continues to show its lack of support for TAFE by:

• allocating no additional funding for TAFE despite continued growth in student numbers
• allocating funds for Workskills vouchers, employer incentives and individual apprentices, without supporting TAFE to meet these particular needs
• allocating an additional $83.6 million for three additional Australian Technical Colleges, taking the total funding for ATCs to $552 million. In NSW it has been reported that only seven students are registered as apprentices in these ATCs at this time. The Age claims the colleges "are costing an average of $25,000 for each student per year; at least doubling the $9500 to $12,000 spent training the average technical student in TAFE"
• extending "FEE-HELP" (income contingent loans) to full fee-paying students in Diploma and Advanced Diploma VET qualificants
• continuing to denigrate TAFE through its new Minister for Vocational and Further Education, Andrew Robb
• ignoring the state and territory governments, TAFE teachers and students by making VET announcements to business community and employer associations, such as the Minerals Council
• indicating a continued desire to force TAFE Institutes to become autonomous, despite governance arrangements being the prerogative of the state or territory
• announcing funding based on student places rather than annual student contact hours. There appears to be no benefit to TAFE in such a move, rather a desire to further undermine TAFE quality vocational education and training by fast tracking students, in order to gain more student places
• a continued attack on unions in VET and the undermining of unions' role through attacks on Industry Skills Councils and other tripartite bodies.

At the same time Conference expresses its deep concern at the lack of any announcement from the Federal Labor Opposition to significantly increase funding for TAFE in real terms, if they were to form government. Conference, however, congratulates The Greens for their continued support of TAFE and their commitment to support massive funding increases for TAFE to rectify past cuts.

Action

1. Conference will support the lobbying around the Australian Education Union's TAFE claim, and its adoption. Conference recognises the importance of state and territory VET Ministers working together to resist the Federal Government's attacks on TAFE, and to ensure that any new funding agreement contains additional funds for TAFE without any further tendering out of quality provision or government arrangements.

The claim provides for:

• 6 per cent increased funding over the next four years to meet projected needs in vocational education and training. This funding will amount to $1550 million by 2011.
• a national review of the infrastructure and capital requirements of the TAFE system in 2008, including capital maintenance and improvement, infrastructure growth in new technology areas and research and innovation capacity building
• a Quality Improvement Fund with 50 per cent growth to reach $555 million in 2011. The fund will address excessively high levels of casual employment, workforce transition, and renewed and ongoing professional development, a national summit on increased investment in student support services and progress, and relief for students from fees and charges.

2. Federation will work with TAFE supporters to maximise pressure for the TAFE claim to be funded, including supporting further lobbying of Federal MPs.

3. Federation urges the Department of Education and Training (DET) to conduct an investigation into the Workskills voucher system and TAFE NSW's response to this legislation in order to find out how much money has been allocated and to which organisation, what courses the students were enrolled in and what qualifications were obtained. It should also identify what TAFE courses have been put on the list for vouchers and why this list is limited, especially in rural areas.

4. Federation, together with the AEU, will continue to ensure that all teacher unions are recognised as speaking for the profession in the domain of vocational education and training. Conference expresses criticism of TAFE Directors Australia in failing to maintain an independent voice by being seen to support the current Federal Government's anti-TAFE agenda as witnessed by recent Council of Australia Government (COAG) decisions. Media work will continue to highlight this issue.

5. Federation will continue to encourage and support innovative public awareness campaigns such as the highly successful "TAFE Walk to Canberra" campaign.

6. Federation will continue to resource the "isupportTAFE" campaign.

Changes and workload

These changes are particularly evident through increased educational options for young people including trade schools, and school based apprenticeships and traineeships. At the same time there is an expectation that TAFE increase qualification levels of students. Whilst both governments pour money into new facilities and resources in ATCs and trade schools, very little funding is finding its way into TAFE for capital works and infrastructure.

Pressures around new programs, onerous audit requirements, the introduction of new systems including Unit Based Implementation (UBI), Mainstream Enrolment via the Internet (MEVI) and Info Path, that are not properly resourced or operating effectively, and increasing pressures to increase numbers of commercial courses, is leading to significant workload increases for our members. This must be a priority issue for TAFE campaigning with the Federation over the next year.

Issues relating to specific areas of membership including TAFE head teachers and TAFE VET coordinators, will be pursued.

Conference recognises the importance of the outcomes of the Role of the Teacher Working Party (arising from the staffing agreement), as being one mechanism to address changes in TAFE.

Action

1. That Federation undertake work around reclassifying TAFE VET coordinators to recognise their work requirements and workload.

2. Federation will resource the Role of the Teacher Working Party, and undertake the necessary background research.

3. Federation will set up a process with TAFE to address head teacher issues.

National TAFE inquiry

• recognition of the role of TAFE
• support for the TAFE teaching profession
• development of a TAFE research facility
• support for others and equity in TAFE
• a renewed resource and funding strategy for TAFE
• addressing TAFE fees and charges.

Conference supports further work around the implementation of these outcomes, including research both jointly with the AEU and in NSW, on TAFE fees and charges. It is critical to demonstrate how they have increased and how they have impacted detrimentally on students.

It is also important to consolidate the agreement in NSW around when course related charges will be used and their voluntary nature, and to build a case to oppose the implementation of an income contingent loan scheme in TAFE.

Action

1. The Federation will facilitate research on the increase of TAFE fees and charges in NSW and their impact on students and people who may be unable to afford to study in TAFE.

2. Federation will undertake joint work with the AEU around TAFE fees and charges across Australia, and build a case opposing the introduction of the income contingent loan scheme in TAFE.

3. Federation will present the NSW report from the National TAFE Inquiry to the Minister for Education and Training, to enable further discussions on areas of strength and areas for further improvement in TAFE.

Renewal of the TAFE workforce

Action

1. Federation will allocate resources to the Renewal of the TAFE Workforce Working Party, to develop background materials and strategies to maximise the effectiveness of the Working Party.

2. Federation will undertake further work and develop strategies to increase permanency, to recruit new teachers from industry, to recruit young teachers, to retain professional knowledge in teaching sections, to make head teacher positions more attractive and work friendly, and to improve career opportunities for current educational staff. This will include the research project agreed to by February Council.

3. Federation will work with other unions to develop strategies to support appropriate secondments from industry and other workplaces into TAFE, and the development of an appropriate teacher education program.

ICCs

Action

Federation will support the ICC training day proposed in August, and as far as possible the outcomes arising from the day.

TAFE teaching profession

Conference supports strategies to ensure the TAFE teaching profession remains well qualified and able to take on the teaching of new and emerging industry areas and higher qualifications. Consequently, Federation believes that TAFE should commit to a more extensive professional development program, including increased options for return to industry, community/industry liaison and sabbaticals, as well as opportunities to update and increase qualifications. Federation remains convinced that the TAA 04 is not an adequate teacher education requirement. However, whilst it remains a part of the Australian Quality Training Framework 2007, Conference calls on TAFE to properly resource permanent, temporary and part time casual teachers to gain the qualification. This support includes paid release time and payment for the cost of the course. Two areas of particular concern at the moment are around TAFE teachers being skilled to teach in areas related to renewable energies, sustainability and to high level qualifications, including degrees and advanced diplomas.

Action

1. Federation will undertake discussions with TAFE around an increased TAFE professional development program, including return to industry, regular community/industry liaison, sabbaticals and access to degree programs.

2. Federation will work to ensure that all teachers have access to the TAA 04 free of charge, and that appropriate paid release time is provided for the course.

Trade schools, school based apprenticeships and traineeships

School-based VET, preferably in association with local TAFE colleges, has often been seen to broaden high-school students' life outlook and future career opportunities.

The methods of achieving these VET outcomes have varied since the inception of vocational education and training in schools (VETIS) in NSW in 1985.

The trend in VETIS has moved from specifically localised arrangements to the present situation which involves planning at state and even (to some degree) federal government levels.

This has resulted in such supposed innovations as the Federal Government's ill-conceived and money-wasting Australian Technical Colleges. These in turn have seen a State Government reaction in its commitment to setting up trade schools often in association with local TAFE colleges. The NSWTF will advise members that they should promote the NSW TAFE system rather than Australian Technical Colleges.

Increased interest in VETIS has also seen a growing emphasis by both levels of government on school-based apprenticeships and, to a lesser extent, school-based traineeships. Unfortunately most of this emphasis at the state level on trade schools and school-based apprenticeships and traineeships has taken place with minimal research, consultation and planning involving the real "stakeholders", that is the students, the TAFE and school teachers, the parents and the employers.

Results to date have been varied with much anecdotal evidence pointing to major problems in many locations with regard to aims, implementation, expectations and outcomes.

In an effort to help overcome these problems the following course of action is proposed.

Action

That a statewide conference of VET teachers and other DET/TAFE members involved in VETIS be convened by the Federation to discuss issues significant to school teachers, TAFE teachers and to students, all of whom are involved in the provision of vocational education and training.

A broad representation of those with experience of VET will be sought.

Issues for discussion will include (but need not be limited to):

• the increased workload brought about by VET
• the additional paperwork and reporting required
• mandatory VET training requirements to teach the courses
• trade schools and their effects
• the effects of Australian Technical Colleges
• school-based apprenticeships
• the effect on the school staffing formula of movement of students between schools and TAFE
• problems with travel and sometimes accommodation costs for off site training
• private training providers and the position of TAFE as the preferred, pre-eminent provider of VET
• the difficulties arranging appropriate work placements
• the maintenance of TAFE as the standard for presentation of VET courses.

TAFE staffing agreement and permanency campaign

Action

1. The Federation is to monitor the work of Institute Consultative Committees in their enforcement of the staffing agreement in all institutes, insist that the Department rectify any difficulties in obtaining all necessary data on permanency down to the section level and ensure that the Department requires all institutes to fully comply with the agreement.

2. In addition, Federation will continue to lobby the NSW State Government for the increased funding that is needed in order to facilitate a real increase in permanency in TAFE.

Adult Migrant English Service (AMES)

The current tender for the Adult Migrant English Program, originally due to expire mid 2008, has just been extended for a year following a review by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship of the operation of each contract against performance criteria.

AMES is now recruiting more casual teachers, and Federation will need to recruit these new teachers as members and activists.

Action

1. Federation will support AMESTA in continuing to campaign for the restoration of AMES as the preferred provider and the abolition of tendering for the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP). This includes the lobbying of candidates in the federal elections to commit both to the abolition of the tendering process and to an increase in the maximum hours for the AMEP.

2. AMESTA will continue to campaign for all migrants and refugees to have both the right and the access to free, quality and adequate English language education to ensure equitable access to employment, mainstream further education and training, and effective participation in the community including citizenship rights and obligations. AMES TA will continue to lobby against an exclusionary citizenship test.

3. AMESTA will continue to campaign to ensure that educational standards are not compromised if there is any tendering of the AMEP, and that market forces do not take precedence over educational standards.

4. Federation will support AMESTA in its determination to retain a high quality, permanent teaching force. This includes the recruitment of casual teachers to Federation membership, and the rights of long term casuals and any temporary teachers to be appointed on a permanent basis.

Corrective Services

Minister Kelly acknowledged that access by inmates to appropriate education, vocational training and libraries would be critical to meeting the State Plan target of reducing re-offending. He also declared a willingness to meet regularly with the Federation to discuss ways to improve educational access.

Annual Conference is concerned that the new Minister for Justice, John Hatzistergos, has failed to meet with the Federation since his appointment following the March 2007 state election.

Salaries

In the next salaries round the Federation will work to close the increasing gap that exists between classifications in Corrective Services and similar classifications in TAFE and schools.

Members in Corrective Services work in a difficult and hazardous environment, while contributing to State Plan targets to reduce re-offending behaviour. Corrections educators are highly qualified and must be able to adapt their teaching and curriculum to the environment in which they work. The Federation will pursue above CPI salary increases for members in Corrective Services, in acknowledgement of these issues.

Teaching and learning conditions

In implementing these new curricula the Department must ensure that teachers are provided with sufficient professional development time and resources to familiarise themselves with these new curricula and adapt them for learners in correctional settings.

The Federation believes that the Department must maintain its curriculum emphasis on Adult Basic Education, especially language, literacy and numeracy provision.

Annual Conference is concerned that the delivery of language, literacy and numeracy provision, through the use of multimedia, is being severely impeded by the Department's insistence that computers for inmate education should be recycled old technology such as Pentium 3s. The use of severely outdated equipment is causing teachers unnecessary difficulty and increased workload.

The Federation calls on the Minister, John Hatzistergos, to ensure that correctional education is properly funded, resourced and occurs in well maintained and equipped classrooms.

Action

2. Members in Corrective Services are authorised to take local action over inadequate teaching and learning conditions.

3. The Federation will continue to publicise the important role of correctional education and the work of members in this area, and will develop a poster and postcards for use in this campaign.

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Last Modified: 30 Aug 2007