Wednesday, 13 July 2016
“…the Government is investing in upgrades to hospitals, roads and bridges, but we need to ensure TAFE NSW is equipped to deliver the skilled workforce to help build it.”
A MODERNISED structure for TAFE NSW will reduce overheads, direct more resources to frontline teaching and guarantee TAFE is meeting the training and skills needs of the Northern Tablelands community and economy, local State MP Adam Marshall said today.
The MP welcomed news that the region would also benefit from a large investment in the Moree TAFE Campus.
“This major redevelopment of the existing campus will include multi-use trade spaces, contemporary learning hubs and investment into Mobile Training Units to support students and meet industry demand in the surrounding rural communities,” he said.
Mr Marshall said the State Government had released a vision for once-in-a-generation reform of TAFE NSW which will see the independent Institute structure dissolved and replaced with a single, multi-campus TAFE NSW.
“This reform is about providing more choice, better access and convenient training for our students to help them get the jobs of the future,” Mr Marshall said.
“It will make significant savings on back office administration and management which will be reinvested back into training and skilling more people in NSW.
“The changes include a single digital platform for on-line learning with the headquarters to be located in a regional area.
“In the Northern Tablelands, the Government is investing in upgrades to hospitals, roads and bridges, but we need to ensure TAFE NSW is equipped to deliver the skilled workforce to help build it.
“Importantly, for every $1 million saved through this reform, the NSW Government can subsidise the training for 250 extra students to help them get their first job, or upskill for their next career step.”
Minister for Skills John Barilaro said the 25-year-old TAFE Institute model was designed to create competition between the Institutes to increase student choice; however, with the variety of options available today TAFE doesn’t need to compete with itself.
“Excessive overheads, a large and underutilised asset base, and inflexible workforce arrangements are diverting valuable Government funding away from the most important job TAFE has – training our workforce of the future,” Mr Barilaro said.
“This year, the NSW Government will subsidise up to 550,000 places in vocational training which will help people into their first job, or reskill into a new job and TAFE NSW has an important role to play in helping people achieve their career goals.”
Under these reforms, the NSW Government will also:
- Open a series of brand new Flexible Learning Centres from February 2017 – giving remote and disadvantaged students access to TAFE training and teaching across the network;
- Create a new TAFE Digital Education headquarters in regional NSW; and
- Reinvest any money from land or asset sales back into TAFE NSW.