New reforms are set to bring TAFE in line with community and government expectations. Photo: TAFE SA, Facebook.
Proposed reforms to South Australia’s TAFE system seek to greatly improve the state-run organisation’s ability to provide quality education for students in line with government and industry expectations.
The Malinauskas Government promised during the election campaign to rebuild the TAFE system on the recommendations of the Roadmap for the Future of TAFE SA Report.
The reforms follow engagement with unions, industry, governments, students and staff. They are based on a new bill requiring TAFE South Australia to implement a business plan and a statement of priority that replaces the current Ministerial Charter and Performance statements. The government says this is key to safeguarding expectations, as well as making the organisation more accountable.
The reforms to TAFE SA will strengthen its governance, leadership and commitment to public interest, as well as the quality of its education.
It will be the first TAFE system in the nation to be required by law to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to provide training and education in an effort to address the needs of individuals and their communities. This is seen as vital to the state’s effort towards Closing the Gap, an initiative to reduce the disparity in life opportunities and outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Other key reforms include providing TAFE SA with the ability to issue barring notices for people for being abusive or insulting and being offensive or abusive towards TAFE staff or students, protecting those who wish to study. In particularly egregious cases, people may be barred from entering TAFE SA grounds for two years.
In addition, the reforms will bring direct industry experience into the education, training and employment sectors, improving responsiveness to emerging challenges and opportunities, such as automation and AI.
TAFE SA will also focus on improving the student experience to improve access to training and skills development for those in rural and remote communities. Under the reforms, the critical role of TAFE in regional areas is enshrined in legislation.
“The Malinauskas Labor Government is delivering a once-in-a-generation reform agenda that will transform education, training and skills and will build high-quality, student-focused pathways,” Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer said.
“Since coming into government in 2022, the State Government has invested in TAFE SA, placing it at the centre of our skills policy in South Australia and ensuring it can best deliver high-quality, accessible training in all parts of the state.”
New governance arrangements, which strengthen ministerial oversight, mean that the TAFE system will better work in line with broader government policy and priorities such as construction, defence and early childhood care.
“With major projects underway in the defence industry, construction, early childhood and health, TAFE SA is vital to delivering the skilled workforce we need,” Mr Boyer said.
Alterations to TAFE are backed by record funding from the SA Government.
TAFE SA’s structure will change from a statutory corporation to a statutory authority.
