By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
CHISHOLM Institute has been given a $3.5 million State funding boost to support its most vulnerable students.
Today’s announced funding, part of a new $50 million package for the state’s TAFEs, will help the south-east Melbourne TAFE expand 11 programs for 25,000 of its students.
The programs include help for studying teenage mums, such as support for child care and teaching parenting skills.
Others include English foundation classes for CALD students, counselling, employment services, and one-to-one tutoring for disadvantaged students.
At Chisholm on 6 April, Training and Skills Minister Steve Herbert said that without such programs, disadvantaged people fell through the cracks.
“A person that doesn’t return to the workforce for 20-30 years will be in poverty. It impacts on their children and their children’s future.
“This program not only saves taxpayer dollars but also helps them get meaningful jobs and their children have successful lives.
“How do you measure that in dollars?”
Mr Herbert lauded the recently launched Australia-first partnership between Ventura Buses and the TAFE.
Under the partnership, Chisholm would train new bus drivers not just to drive but improve English and customer service skills.
Up to 150 drivers would be trained to Certificate III level in the next two years. Mr Herbert said the need for more bus drivers would grow with Melbourne’s population.
Mr Herbert said he knew that without well-skilled local candidates, Ventura had to search overseas to find skilled bus drivers several years ago.
He told the Journal he was only part-way to restoring some of the damaging $300 million TAFE cuts of the previous State Government.
He said there was no greater challenge than rebuilding a quality TAFE education system to world-leading levels.
“The task of turning around the devastation is massive.
“The training system over recent years has not been that successful. Nationally, we’ve seen (participation) numbers drop, not grow.”
Chisholm is rebounding from $30 million in cuts in 2012 and 2013, resulting in 220 staff losing their jobs. Yet it is one of the financially better placed TAFEs in the state, Mr Herbert said.
He said TAFEs were a crucial part of an educated workforce for Victoria’s transitioning industries such as the dramatically changing auto parts manufacturing hub in the south-east.
The government boosted TAFE funding by $170 million in 2015, as part of its $320 TAFE rescue fund.
