THE future of some teaching positions at TAFE in Orange could be on the line after the western institute raised new discussions this week.
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TAFE NSW Western Institute staff in Orange have been given two weeks to give feedback on the Building a Sustainable Teaching Workforce paper that was released on Tuesday.
NSW Teachers Federation TAFE organiser Terry Keeley has seen the paper and spoken to teaching staff and said 24 jobs out of 193.5 are proposed to go from the Western Institute including in Orange.
“That’s a mixture of head teachers, permanent teachers and casual teaching positions,” Mr Keeley said.
“Because it’s such a small institute, 24 is a significant figure and it’s very worrying.
“I’ve got no firm data on where those particular positions are... [however] there will be loss of training in important fields including agricultural courses.”
He said out of 20 head teacher positions at Orange and two at Parkes, the combined 22 roles will be reduced to 15 although the proposal did not say what the seven positions will be.
Mr Keeley and Central West Community Union Alliance spokesman Joe Maric said both believed the potential job losses are due to a combination of reduced TAFE funding and the introduction of the Smart and Skilled reforms that have led to increased fees for some TAFE courses.
“Because the numbers [of students] are significantly down it’s kind of a necessary evil that they will have to make people redundant,” Mr Maric said.
“I spoke to somebody from TAFE and basically he said to me nobody knows how long they are going to be there for.”
The TAFE NSW Western Institute director Kate Baxter was unavailable for comment but a written statement was sent on her behalf.
“The focus of the Building a Sustainable Teaching Workforce paper is to provide an effective and sustainable teaching workforce, with the primary objective focused on the longevity of TAFE Western in its footprint,” it stated.
“TAFE Western has put forward a second paper for consultation, and I’m encouraging staff to provide feedback on the next stage of proposals.
“There has been no final decisions made and TAFE Western will continue to engage with our staff to ensure a transparent process.
“I’m looking forward to working with all of our staff to ensure a long and prosperous future for TAFE Western.”
tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au