Former National Tertiary Education Union president Jeannie Rea to lead review of TAFE SA

A former senior trade unionist will lead a high-level review into the state’s troubled TAFE system.

A former senior trade unionist will lead a high-level review into the state’s troubled TAFE vocational training system ahead of the injection of millions of federal funding.

The state government has appointed long-serving National Tertiary Education Union president Jeannie Rea to develop a masterplan for the government-funded vocational education provider.

Associate Professor Rea, now an academic at Victoria University, will be advised by an expert panel comprising of representatives from industry, the Australian Education Union, TAFE SA Board, Skills SA, VET providers and regional areas.

Training and Skills Minister Blair Boyer said the review would “reset the priorities and set out a new vision for TAFE in South Australia”.

“This includes its purpose and role in delivering the skilled workforce the state needs, and ways in which the public training provider can be strengthened,” he said.

TAFE has undergone significant changes over the past decade, including the closure of campuses, course rationalisation and staff cuts.

An inquiry in 2018 left nearly 2500 students facing uncertainty over their qualifications after a random audit found problems with every course that came under scrutiny.

It followed the earlier suspension of an aviation maintenance training course at Parafield Airport after an audit by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has promised to release $1.1bn to fund an additional 180,000 fee-free TAFE places by 2023 to address a national skills shortage.

Former National Tertiary Education Union president Jeannie Rea will lead a high-level review into TAFE SA. Picture: James Croucher

Mr Boyer said it was important a “road map” was developed for TAFE in preparation for the new funding.

“We need to ensure TAFE is ready for the significant investment of fee-free TAFE places from the federal government,” he said.

“This piece of work will ensure TAFE has a clear vision and it represents vocational training for all South Australians, no matter where they live or their circumstances.”

Mr Boyer said he had asked Assoc Prof Rea to “conduct a thorough consultation” before delivering a report next April.

“There are more than 30 TAFE training locations across South Australia that link to community, industry and students in every region,” he said.

Assoc Prof Rea said TAFE “used to be the go-to place for young people for their first post-secondary training” before they returned “for a second bite as jobs and aspirations changed”.

“Much of this has been lost in recent years,” she said.

“It is time to design a training road map for the South Australian community wherever they live, whoever they are and whatever their age.”

Assoc Prof Rea said her review would “look to recommend changes to once again make TAFE the cornerstone of quality training for future-focused sustainable jobs and prosperous communities”.

Skills and Training Minister Blair Boyer has announced a high-level review of TAFE SA. Picture: Emma Brasier

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner said TAFE SA was “probably the most repeatedly reviewed organisation in South Australia’s history”.

“At one stage after the catastrophic quality crisis at the end of Labor’s previous term there were three reviews underway at the same time,” he said.

“It is concerning that Labor’s review panel is very union heavy, and it is troubling that our non-Government training sector, including industry-led not-for-profits, seem to have been excluded.”

Mr Gardner said the private registered training operators (RTOs) “need to be heard too or else we risk seeing non government providers starved of funding and students again, just like they were when Labor was last in power”

The review was welcomed by the Australian Education Union, with SA president Andrew Gohl saying it marked “a new direction for TAFE in South Australia”.

“In the face of a national skills shortage, it is a no-brainer that TAFE must be the government-guaranteed solution to deliver a skilled workforce through accessible education and training.”

Mr Gohl said there had been “years of underinvestment and mismanagement in TAFE”.

The AEU would host a TAFE symposium on October 11 as part of the review.