ALLAN TALKS SKILLS REFORM AT GOULBURN OVENS TAFE

Friday, 14 November 2008
Skills and Workforce Participation Minister Jacinta Allan today visited Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE, Shepparton Campus, as part of a tour of all major Victorian TAFE campuses to discuss with staff and students the Brumby Government’s $316 million overhaul of the state’s training system.
Ms Allan said the Brumby Government’s Securing Jobs for Your Future – Skills for Victoria  reform package will provide 172,000 new training places, including a supported training opportunity for every eligible Victorian who wants one.

“In August, Premier John Brumby and I unveiled this landmark initiative, which included the single largest investment ever made in the skills system in Victoria,” Ms Allan said.

“Victoria’s world-class TAFE institutes are the backbone of the state’s training system and will play a vital role in developing a system that is more responsive to the needs of learners and industry.”

“That’s why I am conducting a series of visits across the state to meet with TAFE staff and students to personally discuss the reforms and to listen to feedback on how to ensure a smooth implementation process.”

Ms Allan said the skills reform package included $2.5 million for two initiatives to expand and strengthen the TAFE workforce.

“Expert teachers such as Goulburn Ovens TAFE’s Robyn Richards – the winner of the 2008 Victorian Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award – are central to the success of our system,” Ms Allan said.

“That’s why we are taking action to attract more people from industry to teach at TAFE and to also create more professional development opportunities for current TAFE staff.”

In addition to the investments being made under Securing Jobs for Your Future - Skills for Victoria, the Brumby Government will continue to fund the development of quality TAFE infrastructure.

“Since 1999, the Brumby Government has invested $399 million in TAFE capital, including $18.5 million for Goulburn Ovens TAFE, and we will continue to invest in building world-class facilities for our TAFE institutes”, Ms Allan said.

Speaking today in Shepparton, Ms Allan said she would visit all major TAFE sites to discuss the effects of skills reforms, which includes the biggest microeconomic reform to be undertaken in decades.
 
“In terms of education and training, there has been nothing of this scale since John Dawkins led the Hawke Government’s modernisation of universities in the late 1980s,” she said.

“TAFE managers, their staff and students all deserve the chance to discuss the effects the reforms will have on their training options and institutions.

“Under the reforms, TAFE and community providers will be strengthened to ensure that they have the capability to grow and expand in a competitive environment.”

The Securing Jobs for Your Future – Skills for Victoria  package provides training places according to student demand and introduces university-style loans to enable those undertaking a diploma to defer the payment of fees until they earn a reasonable income.

The reforms will make it easier for businesses to provide relevant training for their staff and to contribute through investments in TAFE capital and infrastructure.

By the time the new system is implemented by mid-2009, Ms Allan will have visited about 70 TAFE campuses and study centres.