I, Rex Calvert, of Howrah Make the Following Statement on the Basis of My Personal Knowledge and Beliefs, Except Where Otherwise Stated
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Committee Secretary House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia I, rex calvert, of howrah make the following statement on the basis of my personal knowledge and beliefs, except where otherwise stated. I am years old and work as a tafe teacher, in the postcode of 7018. yes - my son went to tafe to study cert 3 in cookery tafe is the best place for those who wish to obtain or study VET to attend. those who teach there have nationally acredited VET quals. my son studied cookery at college , he always said the teachers were not up to industry standard. Not living in a big area, being able to go to TAFE means... yes. budget cuts have meant that those seeking to gain or upgrade their qualifications to enhance their employment prospects now pay full cost recovery. yes. job losses due to buget shortfalls has resulted in less staff doing more at the expense of teachers being able to teach. the students and Australia are the losers. I urge the committee to ensure that our TAFE sector is well-funded because…our future prosperity, that relies on a qualfied workforce, will be affected if there is not a well resourced public provider to set the standard for VET delivery in Australia. Submitted by rex calvert of howrah Friday 12th of April 2013 Committee Secretary House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia I, Caitlin Goldfinch, of Moana make the following statement on the basis of my personal knowledge and beliefs, except where otherwise stated. I am years old and work as a , in the postcode of 5169. I'm currently undertaking a Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design course through Adelaide College of the Arts Tafe and it is the best decision I've ever made. I'm happier when I'm here. I took this course because when trying to get into an art course through university, I got rejected. The environment is creative and warm and I feel at home here. You don't get a chance to learn these kind of skills in a university environment. Some people also learn better through hands - on activities, I know I do. You can't always learn something through writing essays. Like I said before, if it wasn't for tafe, I wouldn't be studying what I love and would probably be really unhappy right now. Not living in a big area, being able to go to TAFE means... Yes! Second and third year classes are being joined, broken equipment can't get replaced, we need to go buy equipment that would normally be supplied by the college I urge the committee to ensure that our TAFE sector is well-funded because... Submitted by Caitlin Goldfinch of Moana Friday 12th of April 2013 Committee Secretary House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia I, , of Brookvale make the following statement on the basis of my personal knowledge and beliefs, except where otherwise stated. The federal and state governments are both responsible for the degradtion of skill training in Australia. Private RTO's are destroying the education industry by focusing on assessment and not focusing on training. Government is trying to fast track apprenticeships when once againg the acquistion of skill is just as if not more important then knowledge. Skills cannot be fastracked!!!! TAFE's role in training is now more important than ever. Submitted by of Brookvale Friday 12th of April 2013 Committee Secretary House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia I, Frances Hawton, of Castle Hill make the following statement on the basis of my personal knowledge and beliefs, except where otherwise stated. I am years old and work as a FT teacher, in the postcode of 2154. I went through university after leaving school. My son has been to TAFE and hs a career in IT. TAFE develops pratical skills of people, and ensures that they have the skills that businesses need. In accounting, TAFE graduates have the practical knowledge to undertake the tasks required in most offices. University graduates have very different skills, which are not as practical. I have taught in TAFE for 20 years, as a part-time teacher, a full-time teacher and a head Teacher. I have seen many people who came into their first course with few pracical skills, very little confidence and no self-belief.......I have seen those same people leave 18 months later with confidence, skills and the knowledge that they can take on the world - it was not just about acheiving a qualification, it was about building their skills so that they felt confident about going out and getting a job, and being able to perform in that job. I work in Granville, with some of the most disadvantaged people in Australia - most are from NESB backgrounds, some are from cultures where women, in particular, are not valued very highly. The change TAFE cam make in the lives of these people is amazing! they leave here to become valuable members of the Australian workforce, and go on to become role models for others from their communities. Not living in a big area, being able to go to TAFE means... Yes, we have students who come to us for later-stage courses (eg Accounting Diploma) who studied their Cert IV at provate colleges....they have a qualification, but they have not learned any of the skills to go along with it. Their understanding of the material is virtually non-existent. this has occurred on numerous occasions, not just once or twice. we are cutting back on the courses that we offer, and we are being asked constantly to find more cost saving - inevitably, this means that class sizes are bigger, or we cannot offer students as much support as we would like. it also means that we have ceased offering our courses at some campuses (eg. Accounting can no longer be done at Wetherill Park college) as many of our students are mothers returning to the workforce, they cannot attend a TAFE a long distance from home, also many are generally lower-socio economic, they canot the transport to drive a long way to another campus......these people will miss out. as above I urge the committee to ensure that our TAFE sector is well-funded because too many people will end up without an education if we don't do something. the move to private colleges may mean more qualfications, but it will not increase SKILLS. people need real training, where they learn new skills, to be able to be of value to their employers....having a qualification without the skills behind it will not help the country in the long-run. TAFE has the ability to change people's lives - to give them new hope, new confidence, new potential and a chance to change their lives, and those of their children. there is so much knowledge and ability in TAFE - we risk that all that will be lost if the government continues down this path Submitted by Frances Hawton of Castle Hill Friday 12th of April 2013 Committee Secretary House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia I, Joyce Pickup, of Minto make the following statement on the basis of my personal knowledge and beliefs, except where otherwise stated. TAFE in NSW provides quality education and training for peolpe from all different backgrounds depending on demographic areas. It allows for people from disadvataged backgrounds and people who have not had the same 'life chances' to achieve education and skills that allows them to further their career options and become contibuters to the community. For example a single mum can begin with a course in Career Employment and Education for Women continue onto Tertiary Preparation Certificate then to University to qualify as a in Nursing, Teaching, Law, etc and become not only able to support herself and her children but also contibute to the community. The example is not an isolated case I have seen it happen many times for many students, were being able to begin with a low level course and achieve success has enabled the individual to gain not only acedemically but also self confidence and go on to achieve skills and worthwhile professions. Policies and cuts that are being made to TAFE will not only abandon people from disadvataged background but in the future will create a skills shortage. By making TAFE into a system of contestable funding can only led to an eventual undermining of quality and standards that are so valued in the TAFE system and respected by the community. Submitted by Joyce Pickup of Minto Friday 12th of April 2013 Committee Secretary House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Australia I, Susan Reid, of Coniston make the following statement on the basis of my personal knowledge and beliefs, except where otherwise stated. I am years old and work as a business consultant, in the postcode of 2500. I left school at 16 and studied at TAFE until pregnancy at 17 forced me out of the workforce. The skills I learnt at TAFE assisted me to find employment after having the baby. Years later I attended TAFE again at differing intervals which assisted with me gaining my current position and the confidence to successfully complete a university degree.I am now on a six figure salary in a full time job thanks to my TAFE training.