Childcare, aged and disability care course cuts worry industry, TAFE SA chief David Coltman tells MPs

Cuts to TAFE SA courses for workers who look after the most vulnerable South Australians are worrying care providers, parliament has heard.

Childcare, aged and disability care industry groups have raised concerns about the quality of training of workers for their sectors in future because TAFE SA has cut delivery of these courses in metropolitan Adelaide.

TAFE SA chief executive David Coltman told the parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee the industry wanted TAFE to continue offering courses in these areas.

“Industries have raised concerns about the decision to exit those courses,” he said.

“Concerns range from a desire to continue the ongoing relationship with TAFE SA and some perceived issues of quality relating to some providers although no specific details have been provided.”

Asked whether TAFE SA had assessed whether other training providers could offer a quality alternative to teach workers for these sectors, Mr Coltman said “that work is undertaken by the Department of Innovation and Skills”.

“The quality of those courses (offered by private providers) is monitored through ASQA – the Australian Skills Quality Authority,” he said.

TAFE was committed to students having opportunities and it would hand over, free, any resources and teaching aides owned by the government to the private providers offering the courses.

From this year, in metropolitan Adelaide, TAFE will no longer take on new students for

the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, Certificate III in Individual Support, Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing), Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability) and Certificate III in Individual Support (Home and Community).

Aged care worker Georgia Holten helping out a resident in an exercise class at The Brotherhood of St Laurence's Sumner House.

In South Australia, health care and social assistance has been the biggest jobs’ generator in the past few decades – growing from 71,400 jobs in 2000 to more than 132,000 now.

Mr Coltman said decisions about which courses TAFE offered flowed from directions given by Innovation and Skills Minister David Pisoni as purchaser of courses which are subsidised by government.

The course mix would then be decided by the TAFE SA board.

Australian Education Union SA president Lara Golding said Mr Coltman’s comments were disturbing.

“We can’t afford to have any questions about quality when it comes to training people who work with the most vulnerable South Australians,” she said.

Australian Childcare Alliance SA, which represents private childcare centres, said TAFE had not kept pace with the sector.

Alliance president Kerry Mahony said there had been a surge in enrolments because of increased government subsidies – but TAFE had not passed on the savings and also did not manage students on placement as effectively as private training organisations.

“TAFE were struggling to compete, we’ve found excellent private providers,” he said.

Mr Coltman also said:

TAFE SA has asked to be relieved of savings targets – and if not granted the institution’s ability to contribute to training needs of growing industries would be “put in jeopardy”.

THE administration is still working out how much profit TAFE makes from individual courses.

HE favours the Victorian initiative of offering some free TAFE courses but has yet to put that to government.

SOME underused TAFE buildings and facilities may be repurposed.

THERE is “no appetite” for further closures of TAFE sites.

HE expects more voluntary redundancies to be offered to staff.

ABOUT 200 students a quarter are taking the firearms course which includes use of gel blasters.

TAFE has begun talks with staff of R.M. Williams – now owned by billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest – and Rossi boots about reintroducing courses in textiles and footwear.

HE pledged to assist carpentry students at Elizabeth TAFE who will have to travel to Tonsley to access specialist equipment as part of their course at the time the Gawler rail line will be closed for electrification works.

The State Government said TAFE was one of 40 organisations delivering training in the sectors and that non-government providers had been “enthusiastic partners” of paid traineeships.