Federal MPs hear about wasteful duplication

by Peter de Graaff

Wasteful duplication of TAFE services by the new Australian Technical College (ATC) in Wollongong were discussed with Federal MPs Jennie George and Sharon Bird on November 17.

Ms George and Ms Bird, who represent electorates in the Illawarra, met with teacher representatives at Wollongong TAFE.

Federal Minister Gary Hardgrave's Illawarra ATC will duplicate existing services, waste taxpayer's money and provide no solutions to skill shortages for five years. TAFE Illawarra and South Coast requires this funding now to ensure that we continue to deliver training to assist addressing the shortages today.

Teachers in trades that are experiencing skill shortages have recently successfully campaigned to have pre-apprenticeship programs reinstated after these were slashed in budgets cuts. Pre-apprenticeship programs have been highly successful but would have been eliminated due to budget cuts in many of the traditional trades from Wollongong to Bega and across the highlands areas.

Federation members in TAFE are concerned that funding for pre-apprenticeship programs will remain under threat in the future as public education funding is diverted to ATCs, which are in effect private schools, and to other Howard Government changes.

Federation Representative Rob Long said: "Illawarra TAFE teachers are concerned the $19 million diverted from TAFE funding to the Wollongong ATC, should not duplicate existing TAFE services and facilities but be spent equitably across the 14 TAFE campuses that stretch from Wollongong to Cooma and Bega."

National Centre for Vocational Education Research financial information states that from 1997 to 2004 the Federal Government funding for vocational and educational training has declined 24 per cent. While Illawarra TAFE continues to educate more than 35,000 students annually, Commonwealth funding has been diverted to an untried ATC which will only cater to a small number of students.

Rob Long also said: "Students enrolled in the Illawarra Australian Technical College in 2007 will actually be sent to train at the world class facilities at TAFE Wollongong. It seems a costly duplication for students to enrol in the ATC and then be sent to TAFE. Although the Federal Government is widely advertising on TV to attract students to the Illawarra ATC, there is no guarantee that students will be able to continue their ongoing quality training and studies at TAFE in 2008."

The Illawarra ATC has recently commenced advertising for some staff, who it appears will be paid less than teachers in schools and TAFE, and for whom there is no requirement for teaching qualifications.

The ATC intends to open its own facilities in 2008.

Peter de Graaff is a TAFE Organiser.

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