Review of Skills Reform Agenda

The Victorian TAFE system has been a springboard for tens of thousands of disadvantaged Victorians to create new and positive futures.

The acknowledgement of and commitment to community service targets and obligations have been a long-standing and honourable agenda for the public TAFE system, an agenda that not only builds positive futures for individuals but a civil society. This honourable agenda has been seriously compromised and undermined.

In 2009 the Brumby Government saw fit to introduce the "Skills Reform Agenda", an agenda which imposed massive cost burdens on students, parents and employers wishing to participate in the public TAFE system to create more positive futures for themselves.

The "Skills Reform Agenda" has been shown to have had serious negative impacts on large numbers of disadvantaged students who had planned to go to TAFE to improve their employment prospects. Choices which once existed for disadvantaged Victorians were taken away.

Leading up to the election the Baillieu Coalition Opposition party acknowledged the negative impact of the "Skills Reform Agenda" on students and promised to reintroduce concessions for students under 25 enrolling in diplomas and advanced diplomas. On its election the Baillieu Coalition Government honoured its promise and reintroduced the concessions for this group of students.

To date, some 4,200 students have benefited from these concessions and have commenced their studies.

It has now been flagged that a review of the "Skills Reform Agenda" is planned for some time in 2012. Disadvantaged Victorians wishing to use the public TAFE system cannot put their lives on hold until 2013 or beyond while the review is undertaken and any associated recommendations for change are actioned.

A full review of the impacts of the destructive Skills Reform Agenda must be initiated immediately and not held over for a further 12 months.

Victorians need equitable access to the public TAFE system to build their futures now.

We call on the Baillieu Coalition Government to bring forward the 2012 full review of the Skills Reform Agenda.

Branch Conference
August 2011