Thousands of western suburbs manufacturing workers set to lose their jobs face a bleak future without a reversal of drastic cuts to TAFE funding, according to a new report.
The report recommends the state government reverse its $300 million TAFE budget cuts and prioritise public TAFE institutes ahead of private trainers.
But a government spokeswoman has labelled the report “a sham”.
The report has been produced by Sarah Shepherd, of RMIT’s social work research and social policy department, for western suburbs Greens MP Colleen Hartland. It points to surveys of staff and students showing the deep cuts have had a disproportionate effect on TAFE students in the western suburbs.
“Victoria University, the primary provider of VET [vocational education and training] in the west, has been forced to absorb a funding loss of $40 million per annum,” the report stated.
“This has caused higher student fees, scrapping of courses and staff, eliminating reduced fees for low-income students and cutting essential student services.”
Ms Hartland said the heavy loss of manufacturing jobs in the west meant TAFEs were needed more than ever to provide reskilling.
“It’s heartless and wrong-headed to cut $40 million a year from Victoria University when there is such great need for quality reskilling,” she said.
But the government spokeswoman criticised the report.
“It lacks evidence, objectivity, a sufficient number of survey respondents, academic credibility and is full of political rhetoric,” she said. “The truth is there is more funding available to TAFEs than ever before with a record $1.2 billion government investment in the training system.”
Higher Education and Skills Minister Peter Hall said the Productivity Commission’s Report of Government Services 2014 showed that Victoria remained well ahead of the national average participation rates in tertiary education.
Ms Hartland said private providers did not have the same obligations to student wellbeing, community building and social justice.
