We have seen another broken promise from Daniel Andrews and Minister Gayle Tierney as their roll out of Free TAFE lurches from one blunder to another.
Daniel Andrews and his Labor Government have been emphatic that Free TAFE is an ‘entitlement program’ and ‘demand driven’. They stressed that no student who qualifies for Free TAFE will be denied a place, but now it has been revealed that next year they will deny students who want to undertake this training.
The Free TAFE budget has blown out, another failure to manage money by this Government. Free TAFE has already cost an extra $41 million, a 24% increase, due to the Government’s failure to properly plan and work with TAFEs to implement the policy. As a result, Daniel Andrews has now announced he will cap key courses, despite them being in areas of workforce demand.
Victoria has a significant future need for disability workers as part of the rollout of the NDIS, aged care workers as our population ages and justice and community workers with a youth justice system in crisis. Yet this Government is capping places in Diplomas in Community Services and Justice, Certificate IV in Youth Work and Certificate III and IV in Education Support and Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping.
These are key areas of growth that the Government has identified in its own Jobs and Training Needs reports that require thousands of new workers in the short and medium term throughout the state. Why is Daniel Andrews undercutting vital sectors and starving them of committed workers by capping these courses?
Daniel Andrews’ mismanagement will cost young people jobs and Victoria the skills we need.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Training and Skills, Mary Wooldridge:
“Daniel Andrews’ failure to effectively implement Free TAFE is hurting students, undermining industry and costing the state tens of millions of dollars.
“We can’t fill the workforce demands of our booming disability, community and justice sectors if Daniel Andrews is capping places in the courses that provide the vital skills we need.”