THE knife has fallen at South West TAFE with 43 jobs to be axed after the state government’s savage budget cut of almost $10 million in funding for the next two years.
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Institute chief executive Joe Piper made the grim announcement to staff yesterday after his board of management made agonising decisions on how to deliver immediate salary savings of $1.35m.
Twenty-eight effective full-time positions will be cut via a mix of voluntary and forced redundancies, end-of-contract positions and retirements.
Another 15 of the axed positions are vacant and will not be filled.
They represent 10 per cent of total staffing across the four TAFE campuses.
More pain has been predicted for next year.
Recent state budget cuts mean South West TAFE will lose more than $7 million in government funding in 2013 and a $2.7 million reduction this calendar year.
The board resolved to censure Higher Education and Skills Minister Peter Hall for the implementing the government’s budget decisions.
In an open letter to the community calling for support the board described the budget cuts as a serious blow to the region.
It warned that students would pay between 50 per cent and 400 per cent more for courses in future and 169 courses would have to be cut during the next two years.
“We need the community’s support in our struggle,” the board said as it urged people to protest to their local MPs.
Warrnambool mayor Jacinta Ermacora said yesterday’s job losses were devastating and the reduction of courses would be devastating for the many people who looked to TAFE for their first step into post-secondary education.
However, South West Coast MP Denis Napthine said the budget cuts were necessary to stop “unsustainable” expenditure on non-core courses allowed by the previous government.
He said he had no doubt the campuses at Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton and Glenormiston would survive.
“We want to make sure the focus is back on apprenticeships and quality courses that lead to genuine job outcomes,” he said.
“In fact there’s more money, not less, for vocational education in Victoria with a total of $1 billion in the next four years.”
Board president Wayne Krause said dramatic expenditure cuts were necessary to ensure the institute continued to survive under challenging financial conditions.
He said increases of up to 400 per cent in student fees in some courses would make them unaffordable so South West TAFE would gradually cease to offer them.
“The times ahead for our institute will be very challenging,” Mr Krause said.
Mr Piper said staff had shown an impressive record in delivering courses and despite the new challenges would concentrate on improving skills in the region.
“South West TAFE will in future have an increased concentration and effort on ensuring that traditional trades and the aspirations of our youth can be met,” he said.
Tighter government spending on the TAFE sector and private providers started late last year when 25 per cent was shaved off student subsidies.
It triggered redundancies for eight staff at the Warrnambool-based institute which had expected total enrolments this year to reach 13,500 students and its operating budget to be about $40m.
On a positive note, the government’s renewed focus on trades training is expected to mean a proposed new training centre on Raglan Parade will proceed.