How TAFE is managing coronavirus effect to help students across Australia
TAFES are working hard to mitigate any fall out with some activating their crisis management team and testing remote access as coronavirus continues to spread across Australia.
Education
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The vocational education sector could be the hardest hit in the coronavirus crisis with an ageing workforce and a heavy reliance on practical learning.
But TAFES across the country are working hard to mitigate any fall out with TAFE NSW activating its crisis management team and testing remote access.
It comes after a student who has a confirmed case of COVID-19 attended St Leonards TAFE while potentially infectious.
“Although it has been more than 14 days since the last day of attendance, NSW Health have been contacting all other students and teacher in these classes, with the assistance of TAFE NSW,” a spokeswoman said.
Australian Industry’s Head of Workforce Development Megan Lilly welcomed the federal government’s recent coronavirus support package for apprentices and said while TAFES could handle a two week shutdown, anything else would need widespread co-ordination and individual case planning.
“Given they are much more focused on applied learning the impact has the potential to be more significant,” she said.
Queensland Teachers’ Union President Kevin Bates said TAFE’s older teacher workforce was also a concern.
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“Given what we have seen in that older people are more susceptible and the TAFE workplace certainly reflects a much older demographic.”
He added that workforce shortages were another concern given the large number of casual teachers with a number of cuts.
He said the union was working close with TAFE QLD to work out the best methods that learning could continue given “so much of learning is based on simulated workplaces whole range of machine tools and devices that relate to vocational education.”
NSW TAFE student Renee Gibson, who is studying Automotive, said her studies would be difficult to complete virtually as they were so practically focused but said she felt it was under control.
“They are handing out textbooks next week so we can do revision and there is also the website we could do some study through, but it would make things difficult.”