Thousands of year 11 and 12 students in country secondary schools and TAFEs will miss out on vocational education if the Coalition’s proposed new tech colleges go ahead. The Coalition proposal will reduce funding to secondary schools for vocational education programs and restrict choice and diversity of year 11 and 12 subjects for these students.

Visiting Geelong TAFE in country Victoria today, ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:

“The Prime Minister’s plan to set up new tech colleges poses a serious threat to the viability of local secondary schools as well as local TAFE colleges in country areas.

The Coalition is planning to set up 15 new private ‘techs’ in country areas as part of a network of 24 trades-oriented colleges that will duplicate the work currently done by public TAFE institutes.

The proposed new technical colleges will compete with local TAFE colleges and take 7,200 year 11 and 12 students away from surrounding schools. This will threaten the viability of many subjects and educational programs for the VCE students that remain in local schools.

The Prime Minister’s plan is bad and wasteful policy that is driven by politics rather than a genuine desire to give Australians in country areas decent educational and work opportunities.

The PM’s tech colleges will cost the taxpayer $289 million. This is almost ten times ($20,444 a year) as much per student as it costs in TAFE ($2,235) and yet, even then, the Coalition cannot guarantee that students in the new tech colleges will not be charged fees to attend.

Only 7,200 students will have access to the tech colleges but if the money was put into local TAFE colleges as many as 70,000 students could benefit. Instead of undermining local schools and colleges the Coalition should boost the vocational education courses that already exist.

Labor’s plan for more than 50,000 extra TAFE places and $2.4 billion more for struggling government & independent schools will lead to significantly better education & work opportunities for young people in country areas. For example, twice as many students in country and regional Australia are likely to benefit from Labor’s boost to TAFE than from the Coalition’s plan.”

Under threat: secondary schools and TAFEs affected by PM’s new tech colleges – country Victoria*

Other areas where schools and TAFEs are threatened by the Coalition policy
are: NSW – Newcastle/Hunter, Wollongong/Illawarra, Port Macquarie,
Lismore/Ballina, Dubbo, Gosford; QLD – Townsville, Gladstone; SA – Whyalla/Port
Augusta; WA – Pilbara; TAS – Launceston/ northern Tasmania.

Media Contacts:

Sharan Burrow, ACTU President – c/- Susannah Greenleaf 0418 479 455
Pat Forward, AEU TAFE Secretary – 0425 743 954
John Kranz, Geelong TLC -0409 672 757
Mark Hyde – Sub Branch President – Gordon TAFE – 0407 841 198

Media Alert

Geelong Schools And TAFE Under Threat By PM’s New Tech College

Sharan Burrow- ACTU President visits Geelong today (Tuesday)

ACTU Sharan Burrow said:

“The Prime Minister’s plan to set up new tech colleges in Geelong, Bendigo, Warrnambool and Gippsland will draw 1,200 students a year away from local secondary schools and TAFE colleges.

This will threaten the viability of many subjects and educational programs for the thousands of VCE students that remain in local country Victorian schools and TAFEs.

The PM’s new tech colleges will cost taxpayers around ten times ($20,444 a year) as much per student as it costs in TAFE ($2,235) – and yet students that attend are likely to be charged fees.”

Media Conference

Tuesday 5 October 2004 – 11.30am

Gordon Institute of TAFE – St Alban’s Rd, East Geelong
School of Building & Construction, East Geelong Campus
Sharan Burrow, ACTU President – c/- Sue Greenleaf 0418 479 455
Pat Forward, AEU TAFE Secretary – 0425 743 954
John Kranz, Geelong Trades and Labor Council -0409 672 757
Mark Hyde – Sub Branch President – Gordon TAFE – 0407 841 198