Hospitality NT calls for CDU to establish a stand-alone TAFE

ONE of the Territory’s major small business employers says now is the time to consider creating an independent and stand-alone TAFE NT.

ONE of the Territory’s major small business employers says now is the time to consider creating an independent and stand-alone TAFE NT.

Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce says the departure of Charles Darwin University vice-chancellor Simon Maddocks has created the opportunity to rethink CDU’s role to include being a TAFE provider.

“We know that the Vocational Education Sector, the trades, are critical to the Territory’s economic recovery,” Mr Bruce said.

“Be it at the mines and gas fields, at the stations and farms, or in the many hospitality and tourism businesses, VET is at the vanguard of future jobs for locals.

“With the incredible opportunity of shaping the new Darwin city campus before a sod is turned, coupled with the opportunity to have a vice-chancellor who is on board with the changes that are necessary, now is the time to consider creating an independent and stand-alone TAFE NT.

An artist’s impression of the planned CDU city campus. Picture: ARM Architecture

“There are many fantastic staff at Charles Darwin University, as there are at the many private training providers across the Territory.

“But the reality is, Darwin is the only capital city that lacks a public hospitality VET provider in the CBD.

“This is despite the fact that this is where the critical mass of staff wanting to upskill live and work.”

Mr Bruce said with closed international borders, restricted interstate movements and the national focus shifting to Local’s First there was a need to ensure Territorians that wanted training and skills that they could get them in order to find work.

“Industry has a leading role to play in providing Territorians with jobs and it is not a task Hospitality NT shies away from,” Mr Bruce said.

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“But we really need our training providers to be all they can be and our firm belief is that the NT would be better serviced with a strong and independent TAFE NT … no longer the poor younger sibling of advanced education, no longer seen as a feeder or breeding ground for undergrad students and no longer focused on simulated training environments. Instead it would be real on-the-job training with genuine business connections occurring every step of the way.

“And as to cost: why would an efficient TAFE NT that is providing tailored training within industries of growth, making Territorians job-ready, be any more expensive than the existing arrangements? Not to mention that the lion’s share of this is government funding sourced from the commonwealth.

“We believe more can be achieved for the same level of taxpayer support and get more locals into work.

“In this most uncertain and unusual year we are being asked to re think what needs to occur in order to take the Territory forward.

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“A strong and independent TAFE NT focused on delivering locals into jobs in the tourism and hospitality, mining and agricultural sectors is at least worthy of debate.

“We are all growing used to being told to operate in a changed environment, possibly forever.

“One wonders then, why that lens shouldn’t also be equally applied to our public agencies, including in education.”