THE slashing of TAFE funding in the western suburbs will cause considerable harm to the area’s prospects, according to a new study.
The Social Impacts on Melbourne’s West of TAFE Funding Cuts report by LeadWest finds the cuts are “of considerable significance”.
Victoria University stands to lose $40 million in TAFE funding, one of the deepest cuts statewide. As reported by the Weekly, VU is slashing almost 80 courses and more than 100 teaching jobs and cutting a swathe through support programs. The report questioned the cutting of training for low-skilled residents at a time of rising unemployment in Melbourne’s west.
Melbourne’s west experiences unemployment of up to 11.6 per cent in Sunshine, and it has lower levels of year 12 completion than the state average, particularly in Brimbank, Hobsons Bay, Melton and Wyndham.
The report found unemployment was especially high among people born in non-English-speaking countries (10.6 per cent).
“Foundation training offered through VET [Vocational Education and Training] is a key enabler for this group to gain employment,” the report stated. “While the government argues that they are substantially increasing funding for vocational education, this is effectively an increase for private provision of training and a reduction in the public TAFE sector.”
The report found school students and their families would also be hurt by the TAFE cuts through higher fees for the VET in Schools program. In the Brimbank-Melton area, almost 4000 students in VET courses face an increase in costs.
Mulugeta Abebe says after losing his job in the Impulse Airlines collapse, a diploma in community development at TAFE was the first step in a journey that has led to rewarding roles — at Merri Community Health Services, as co-creator of 3CR’s Ethiopian Show and initiator of Negat, a magazine for Melbourne’s Ethiopian community. “Most people doing the course were from places like Vietnam, Cambodia and Sudan, people from all different places. It is the best way for refugees or newly arrived migrants to make a step-up when they come to the country.”
Mr Abebe, who went on to gain a bachelor degree, said the extra support in the early stages of VU’s TAFE stream was essential.
A report by LeadWest shows VU will no longer be able to subsidise these support programs due to the $300 million TAFE funding cuts.
