Hundreds of jobs at risk in TAFE funding cuts

SWINBURNE University will shed up to 340 staff and may close two campuses after the Baillieu government's $300 million TAFE cuts.

building on a Swinburne campus

SWINBURNE University will shed up to 340 staff and may close two campuses in the most dramatic response yet to the Baillieu government's $300 million TAFE budget cuts.

The Melbourne institution, which has both university and TAFE divisions, plans to close its Lilydale and Prahran campuses next year. The sites may be sold to finance upgrades at its other three campuses.

Courses will be scrapped in at least 13 disciplines including automotive training, even though automotive specialties are reportedly among Victoria's worst areas of skill shortage.

Voluntary redundancies are being offered to 120 TAFE teachers and 120 administrative staff, and 100 contractors will also go, according to the Australian Education Union.

Swinburne said the changes were driven by its new focus on science, technology and innovation. New majors and degrees would be offered in maths, physics and sports science.

However, the union said the university was switching from TAFE to the "better income streams" from higher education. "Dual-sector universities get about $15 an hour for a commonwealth-supported university place," deputy TAFE vice-president Greg Barclay said. "Diploma-level programs (are) down to $5 an hour and less."

Caps on university places were removed this year, enabling Swinburne to recruit as many higher education students as it likes. While TAFE places are also uncapped in Victoria, the state government has slashed funding in some areas - including hospitality, recreation and tourism - to as little as $1.50 an hour.

RMIT University policy analyst Gavin Moodie said the Swinburne changes were inevitable and mirrored developments at other universities.

Federal Tertiary Education Minister Chris Evans said the Baillieu government was "slashing funding and denying young Victorians the opportunity to get a qualification".

The 240 redundancies at Swinburne come on top of 290 so far at seven other TAFEs. However most are expected to make further cuts, with 2000 TAFE job losses anticipated. Private colleges could shed up to 4800 jobs.

Swinburne has not yet named the specific courses to be cut but said it has quarantined "pathway" courses to higher education.

A fifth of Swinburne's higher education students come through TAFEs, including through a program that guarantees diploma students entry to the corresponding bachelor degrees. It is not clear how many of the diplomas will go.

University of Melbourne tertiary education expert Leesa Wheelahan said dual-sector institutions were in decline. "The cuts are undermining TAFE in the dual-sectors and will result in TAFE becoming residual," she said.

AEU federal TAFE secretary Pat Forward said the dual-sector universities "had effectively been one of the vehicles for engineering the end of TAFE".