AFTER visiting Moree as part of her candidate campaign, Debra O’Brien spoke out about the “appalling state” of vocational education in Moree.
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As she runs as a country Labor candidate for Northern Tablelands, Ms O’Brien said she was shocked to hear about course cuts at the local TAFE.
“Since the NSW government’s introduction of the Smart and Skilled scheme so many courses have been axed, including aged care and the early childhood courses,” Ms O’Brien said.
“The Moree TAFE teachers I have spoken with say that morale is rock bottom, from head teachers to the casual and part-time staff.
“They are distressed that TAFE as a central part of community life is dying.
“One teacher told me it’s the first time in living memory that there would be no general education courses at night.
“General education courses in literacy and numeracy develop important skills for gaining employment and becoming a self-sufficient and contributing member of the community.
“Also, as technology changes, equipping the workforce with the skills required for the jobs of today and those of the future is an urgent challenge for NSW. We need a strong TAFE system to train our young people to prepare them for fulfilling jobs.
“Cutting TAFE and other services in a town like Moree also contributes to population decline.
“Young people and others retraining will have to leave Moree to gain qualifications and do apprenticeships. We need policies that develop our country towns not weaken their opportunities to grow and prosper. It is not only trainees that are losing out but TAFE teachers are also losing job security.
“One casual teacher, of some 21 years standing, now has virtually no work while in the past she could have been working up to 20 hours or more a week. Other casual teachers have had their hours reduced from 15 to less than 10.”
Ms O’Brien said the cuts were happening across the state.
“Since 2011, the Liberal/National Government has cut $1.7 billion from education and training, sacked 1100 TAFE teachers and support staff, cut TAFE courses and slashed class contact times and drastically increased student fees by up to thousands of dollars.
“Labor’s policy on TAFE is to reverse the Liberal National Party fee increases, wind back the privatisation of TAFE and stop the course cuts, so TAFE is accessible for all.
“I’ve always believed we should look at education as an investment, not a cost,” Ms O’Brien said.
However a TAFE New England spokesperson said they were excited to announce that 78 different courses would be on offer at the Moree campus for 2015, providing training for people seeking new skills and employment in the region.
“TAFE New England offers a suite of courses that are based on what students, businesses and industry in Moree say they require to address skill shortages and job opportunities,” the spokeswoman said.
“We recognise that not everyone can attend training in the traditional nine to five way. As a result TAFE New England uses innovation and technology to provide a learning environment that combines face to face and video conferencing delivery and mobile workshops at the Moree campus.
“Aged care and early childhood education and care courses will continue to be accessible from the Moree campus via TNE connects, the TAFE New England online learning facility.”
The spokeswoman said a Certificate II in Skills for Work and Training, which focuses on literacy, numeracy and communication skills will continue to be delivered at the Moree campus, together with the Certificate I in Access to Work and Training and Certificate III Pathways to Further Study.
“A range of trades and primary industry courses can be accessed at the Moree campus including agriculture, carpentry and joinery, civil construction, heavy and light vehicle mechanical technology. Additional trades courses such as animal and veterinary nursing, building and construction can be accessed by blended face to face and online delivery.
“TAFE New England takes a consultative approach by maintaining strong links with employers, businesses, industry and the community to ensure we are providing students with the workplace-based skills employers need,” she said.