Restructuring of TAFE system under way

3/11/94

Essential restructuring is currently under way in the State's TAFE system to deal with the new national environment of increasing competition from private training providers.

Employment and Training Minister Norman Moore said today the new training environment was part of a national agreement between State and Federal Ministers.

Mr Moore urged the State School Teachers Union - representing TAFE teachers - to support this agreed national strategy.  Any TAFE staff displaced by the changes would be relocated in the system and all had the opportunity to apply for any newly-created positions.

The restructures was to meet the demands of the new flexible and responsive training world which was also supported by employers - through their national organisations - and the ACTU.

"National changes are underway in the vocational education and training environment and if we fail to adapt we will be left behind the other States," the Minister said.

"Our training system must deal effectively and quickly with the changing needs of industry and the current TAFE restructuring is all about making our system more flexible and responsive."

Two issues were currently in the spotlight:

·       the merger of the College of Customised Training (CCT) and the TAFE External Studies College (TESC) to form the Curriculum and Customised Training Network (CCTN); and -

·       the move by the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Centre (AMTC) to introduce its own curriculum for 1995.

"Discussions have been held with teaching staff for more than a year to ensure they were kept informed on the proposed changes," the Minister said.

The creation of the CCTN only came about after lengthy consultation which involved representatives of the State Government, the State Training Board, Industry Education Training Councils and independent colleges.

Mr Moore said the External Studies College was the last of its kind in Australia and had become obsolete, with individual colleges better placed to meet the needs of its students with a choice of full-time, part-time or external enrolment.  Staff from the college would be relocated to specialised TAFE colleges.  Those without recent classroom contact with students would have at least a year's adjustment before resuming teaching.

The Minister said the AMTC was never intended to operate as a traditional TAFE college and had always planned to develop its own curriculum and to employ staff to cater for specialised programs.

"The centre opened just last year and has gone through a number of phases, the last being the appointment of its own teaching staff," he said.

Media contact:  Ross Storey 321 1444   222 9595