Australian Medical Association warned State Government in 2014 that half of TAFE SA aged care students were ‘unemployable’

THE State Government was warned as early as 2014 about problems with TAFE SA, with the Australian Medical Association revealing it told former higher education minister Gail Gago half its aged care graduates were “unemployable”.

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THE State Government was warned as early as 2014 about problems with TAFE SA, with the Australian Medical Association revealing it told former higher education minister Gail Gago half its aged care graduates were “unemployable”.

But current Minister Susan Close said she was not made aware of the issue after gaining the portfolio in early 2016.

Previous higher education minister Gail Gago in 2014 met with the AMA chief executive Joe Hooper, who raised concerns with the quality of aged care training in the sector.

Australian Medical Association SA chief executive Joe Hooper.

Mr Hooper wrote in a letter to FiveAA that the AMA’s own nursing lecturers, who train people in aged care, believed about 50 per cent of TAFE aged care graduates were “unemployable” and “needed upskilling”.

“Nothing was done to our knowledge to help these students and save this much-needed health workforce resource,” he wrote.

“At the same time quality private training providers in South Australia were defunded.”

Dr Close said she was “not aware of the AMA raising any issues with me in relation to quality” until Tuesday when the AMA wrote a letter to the minister after the Australian Skills Quality Authority on Monday announced the suspension of enrolments in 14 TAFE SA courses.

“It is my understanding that the issues raised with Minister Gago in 2014 were in relation to courses run under the previous Skills for All training scheme,” she said.

“The AMA had concerns about the training provided by public and private providers during that period.”

Mr Hooper told The Advertiser the August 2014 meeting with Ms Gago was to highlight the problem but also to offer solutions to upskill aged care graduates - but nothing happened as a result.

Mr Hooper told FiveAA aged care courses in 2014 were “accelerated”.

“What should be a six-month course with some careful mentoring, we’re hearing students basically completing those courses within less than three months,” he said.

“And the quality of skill sets ... they had at the end of their certificate were just not up to scratch, which means that they were not employable because you’re obviously transferring a whole lot of work for employers.”

Former Higher Education Minister Gail Gago. Picture: Campbell Brodie

Opposition deputy leader Vickie Chapman has called for an investigation into the TAFE crisis, including “the warnings that were provided to ministers about TAFE’s deficiencies”.

“The students of TAFE SA who have been denied the qualifications they have studied for deserve a comprehensive examination of how this fiasco came about and how it can be fixed,” she said.

“The TAFE SA debacle has the stench of a cover-up and the now Premier (Jay) Weatherill is refusing to cooperate with the Senate inquiry.”

She is also calling for Dr Close to release the findings of the independent investigation of TAFE SA she commissioned after problems with the accreditation of courses were first identified.

Mr Hooper said once the qualifications was awarded, it was “difficult” for organisations to “go behind” those qualifications to find out the skills of an individual.

“There has been the winding back of registered nurses in (aged care) residential facilities ... so it’s a heavy reliance on the aged care workers who are the eyes and ears of the RN who’s working in the area,” he said.

On Tuesday, the AMA wrote to Dr Close offering to assist in training current students in two courses TAFE was not longer allowed to offer enrolments in - Certificate IV in Leisure and Health and Certificate III in Individual Support.

Mr Hooper said he initially “received an automatic response which was not relevant our offer” but since been contacted by Dr Close’s office and will meet with the minister next week.