Robin Murt: TAFE SA backbone of vocational education in SA which punches above its weight
SOUTH Australia punches above its weight on the national training landscape, in terms of results and reforms, writes Robin Murt.
SOUTH Australians are readily accused of parochialism when we claim to be a national leader in a field of endeavour yet, when it comes to vocational education and training (VET), the statement is absolutely true.
This State punches above its weight on the national training landscape, in terms of results and reforms, and the role it plays in educating South Australians for jobs.
While TAFEs in other states grapple with the idea of merging institutions, finding efficiencies and adapting to the expectations of today’s students, TAFE SA has been undergoing a quiet transformation since 2012 when our three TAFE institutions merged into one.
That’s why it’s important to acknowledge these changes at the end of 2016, a critical point in our reform agenda to operate in full competition with private training providers in commercial market segments by July 2019.
Operational efficiencies derived from the 2012 merger include a fulltime equivalent staff reduction of 700 (25 per cent) and a reduction in our draw on government funding by $50 million each year — an annual saving that is growing — and a total saving of $200 million since becoming a Statutory Corporation. At the same time we have increased our external revenues by more than $9 million each year.
We have made the hard decisions to move away from the traditional campus-based education model, instead choosing to use industry and community sites to deliver training, on demand, as needed by each region. Our demand-driven model is the right way forward for TAFE SA, because it is training for jobs, not for seats in a classroom.
We have forged industry training partnerships that boost employment specific to our state, Datacom at the Tea Tree Gully campus being our most prominent example.
We are in discussions with Defence SA, the Defence Teaming Centre and with major ship building companies such as Huntington Ingalls to determine the workforce development and training requirements for South Australia’s future in the defence industry.
We are determined to play a key role in training and re-skilling South Australians for the jobs required to build new naval and land warfare capabilities, including defence programs such SEA 1180, SEA 5000 and LAND 400.
We have increased our online study modules to more than 3500, recognising that the students of today want flexibility to get through their course work at midnight if needed.
And we have done all this while maintaining student enrolment at more than 70,000, achieving a student satisfaction rating of 90 per cent, a course completion rate of 91 per cent, and being named South Australia’s 2016 Large Training Provider of the Year.
Our satisfaction rate sits above the national average, as confirmed this month by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, and our staff are experts in their fields.
Just ask Leuwin Andrew from Heathfield (cookery), Ryan Grieger from Swan Reach (carpentry) and Megan Bowditch from Hampstead Gardens (baking) — three examples of students who won national titles this year in their chosen trades, beating out their interstate rivals with all the skills and expertise from their TAFE SA training.
That’s what I call punching above our weight.
The next three years of our reform agenda will be very challenging.
This period will define where we draw the line between being a competitive, profitable organisation and meeting the social obligations as the public training provider to those who can least afford it.
TAFE SA is the backbone of vocational education in South Australia. Our dedicated staff reach into communities and service areas where some private providers have minimal interest because they decide ‘there’s no money in it’.
In doing so, we open doors of opportunity to people that want to forge a new life. Education is the foundation on which societies grow, so it is vitally important to South Australia that it has a strong and vibrant TAFE institution providing publicly-funded education.
Similarly, the State Government’s imperative for TAFE SA to compete with private providers on an equal footing by July 2019 will drive the sector’s quality of service and efficiencies, ensuring our students get the best from the training provider competing for their enrolment.
It is hard to say right now where the line between competition and social obligation will fall, but in 2017 we will continue in earnest to find out.
I would like to pay tribute to TAFE SA staff who continue our proud tradition of high quality, job-focused training while facing significant changes in our industry.
Change is never easy but I know these tough decisions will make the South Australian VET sector even stronger and will see TAFE SA continue as a leader on the national stage.
Robin Murt is chief executive of TAFE SA