Campuses will not be cut as part of the state government’s restructure of TAFE NSW, Minister for Skills John Barilaro has told the Daily Liberal.
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Data from the National Centre of Vocational Education Research revealed there had been a 22 per cent decrease in government-funded vocational education enrolments from the Dubbo region between 2014 and last year.
A total of 9330 students from Dubbo, Coonabarabran, Gilgandra, Narromine and Wellington were in VET courses in 2014 but that dropped to just 7200 in 2015.
The latest restructure was expected to result in job losses and potentially courses cut and reports began to circulate on Wednesday and Thursday that the government would close campuses and sell off assets.
Mr Barilaro said a review of assets would be conducted but denied entire campuses would close.
“TAFE NSW has been the heart of our regional communities for 125 years. By making more effective use of TAFE’s asset base, and investing in new facilities in regional areas, and embracing technology, we will increase the reach of TAFE NSW throughout the state,” he said. “Where there is a TAFE now, there will be TAFE in the future – TAFE NSW is not leaving town.”
Asked about potential job losses, Mr Barilaro talked about some staff being “affected” as the restructure took place but said that for “every dollar in efficiencies found, that dollar will remain in the skills budget that means more opportunities for young people to train.”
Similarly, Mr Barilaro said the funds from any assets that were sold would go “back into high tech, modern teaching facilities”.
NSW Teachers Federation organiser for Dubbo Duncan McDonald said the biggest problem facing VET was that it had become unaffordable to so many potential students.
“Under the Baird government, NSW has lost basically half of its students and it comes back to the increased costs of attending and the issue of access,” he said.
“With a skills shortage in western NSW, to see the number of students drop is very concerning. Many of those would have been apprentices that could have made a difference.”
Mr Barilaro did not respond to queries about where a proposed regional headquarters would be located.
