TAFE SA

Wednesday February 21, 2024

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (12:15): I rise to support the motion by the member for King and wholeheartedly agree that TAFE plays a critical role in building a stronger and more inclusive South Australian economy. This is particularly evident in our regions. As a cornerstone of vocational education and training, TAFE institutions offer a wide range of courses and qualifications tailored to meet the needs of diverse learners and industries.

In preparing for today, I reflected back on the many speeches I have given in relation to regional TAFE and our TAFE in Mount Gambier and there is a recurring theme: we must get the administration structure and the responsibility to the community right.

I have spent nearly all my working career in education around vocational education. I have seen our local TAFE go from a very responsive and innovative part of the Mount Gambier community—headed by a local board, which again was responsive to the industry and student needs, and more importantly, I think, accountability for high outcomes, for staff rocking up on time and actually delivering what they were meant to deliver—to now a shell of its former self.

At the moment, if you walk through the Mount Gambier TAFE site it is almost 'spot the student'. It has very good facilities, but the reputation of TAFE and its ability to deliver into our community is nowhere near what it used to be when we had local management, and there is a perverse incentive that some lecturers undertake. Instead of having 15 students in their class, the ability to make it difficult and reduce that number down to five or six certainly lowers the workload of that lecturer. I know of lecturers who have not seen their line manager for well over 18 months.

We have to have a serious conversation about TAFE, particularly in regional areas, because I am actually very passionate about seeing it re-achieve its very important place in our community and the state. To give a local example, every year we have a trainee come into our office. I specifically target gap-year students who are going to do 12 months and then come to Adelaide or go over to Victoria to complete their university or tertiary education.

We have very high achieving trainees. Some of our trainees have achieved 99-plus ATARs. During the theoretical component of their traineeship—and again, I am trying to support our local TAFE—I had my trainees coming to me saying, 'This is embarrassing. This is a joke in terms of the level of interaction and how the course is being delivered,' so we made the decision to go with another provider two years ago and the contrast could not be more stark. We have a provider who comes into our electorate office, works with our trainee and pitches the course at a level that is commensurate with very high-achieving young people. That is because they have a standard, and they project the course at that standard.

I am sure I am not alone in talking about our industries in Mount Gambier that actively now send their apprentices to Adelaide. We have big industries down there, like the forest industry, that bypass TAFE. That is because they are not getting what they need as an industry from the state government's training provider.

It is quite interesting that one of TAFE's commitments by 2033, as outlined in their 2023-33 strategic plan, is to:

Ensure the voices and needs of regional businesses are reflected in the delivery of TAFE SA's courses and services. TAFE SA will engage local industry, community, staff and student representatives to inform TAFE SA's training profile and service delivery within the regions they represent.

This statement underscores a critical point: every region, whether it is Mount Gambier or Whyalla, poses distinct needs and priorities shaped by the industries unique to that area. These needs have not been met over the past decade, which has slowly seen course numbers and students decline from my local TAFE. I strongly believe the answer lies in having a regional board that is responsible to the community and responsive from the community.

We require local management capable of effectively engaging with our business community, interacting with community members and ensuring accountability for the campus and its operations. We are entering a crucial time for vocational education and training in Mount Gambier, with a $55 million investment to create an education and training precinct, including a $5 million injection for the upgrade of facilities and equipment at our TAFE campus.

We must use this opportunity to push for local governance and accountability. We now have the ability to create not just a TAFE board but an education precinct board that can coordinate TAFE, as well as the new technical college, Forestry Centre of Excellence, private providers and UniSA all in one location. A board comprising of local people who possess a deep understanding of the needs and priorities of both students and our community is essential. This structure enables funding to be distributed in accordance with local needs and allows relevant courses that are important to our industries to continue and expand.

This approach also helps prevent unnecessary duplication of courses in regional areas. Regions do not have the population base to have the same or similar courses offered multiple times by different providers, which can lead to relevant courses being discontinued due to insufficient enrolments. Let's use this opportunity to collaborate closely with local businesses, industries, schools and the community to achieve the best outcomes for our students. By doing so, we can ensure the continued success and growth of TAFE in our regions and South Australia.

 

 

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