Fees cut students at TAFE
Enrolments at Busselton TAFE have fallen by a third since the State Government restructured fees for some courses at the start of the year.
Training and Workforce Development Minister Kim Hames said Busselton enrolments were down 36.5 per cent in the March quarter, but he insisted smaller campuses could experience significant fluctuations throughout the year.
There has been a 22 per cent decline in general industry qualifications across WA since the introduction of the Future Skills WA program, contributing to an overall drop of 7.4 per cent.
Dr Hames admitted the demand for general industry training was affected by the new fee structure.
“An overall decline of 7.4 per cent and a general industry training decline of more than 20 per cent are not acceptable outcomes, ” he said.
“As a result, Government will be looking to adjust the settings of Future Skills WA to combat this decline and provide a sustainable foundation for the State’s vocational training system to meet the needs of the economy.”
Dr Hames said the average level of Government subsidy for priority industry qualifications, including apprenticeships and traineeships, remained high.
He said this would be 87.5 per cent in 2014 compared with 90 per cent in 2013.
Enrolments in priority training qualifications increased 2 per cent in the March 2014 quarter compared with the same period last year and enrolments by Aboriginal students were up 3.6 per cent.
South West MLC Adele Farina blasted the Government for the “explosion” in TAFE fees.
“If the Barnett Government persists with its attitude that TAFEs are first and foremost a revenue-raising opportunity rather than a vital cog in our economic development we will see the public training sector gutted in this State, ” she said.
Busselton hospitality worker Darcy Gordon told the Times she has found the cost of training prohibitive.
The 22-year-old wants a Certificate IV in Business, but says she cannot afford it.
“I struggle to pay my rent let alone tuition fees, ” she said. “It’s an investment in my future, but I’ve got to put my plans on hold for the time being until I can afford it.”
Jobs South West chief executive Posy Barnes said low- income earners, indigenous people, the unemployed and people with disabilities would be hit hardest.
“To try to get a disadvantaged person to enrol in something that will cost them $1200, it just won’t happen, ” she said.
