Privatising apprenticeships

The Federal government is prepared to pay ten times more per 
student to private operators than it injects into the TAFE 
system. The move, which would put competency skills into the 
hands of big business, has been labelled a "thinly veiled attempt 
to privatise training".

Unions have revealed that the plan to establish the "Australian 
Technical Colleges" would involve schools being set up by tender; 
workers employed on AWAs (government non-union individual 
contracts) and no union involvement on the campuses.

The colleges would exist alongside the existing TAFE system and 
duplicate its underfunded resources, according to Phil Bradley 
from the NSW TAFE Teachers' Federation.

"TAFE could provide this training if it was not starved of 
billions since the Howard Government came to power", said Mr 
Bradley. "There has been a 25 percent cut per student in real 
terms over the last five years."

Government figures show that over 50,000 people were turned away 
from TAFE last year because of funding shortages. This does not 
take into account others who did not even apply because of fee 
rises.

Mr Bradley also slammed a plan by the Business Council of 
Australia, the Australian Industry Group, the Australian Chamber 
of Commerce and Industry and the National FarmersFederation to 
set up the "Institute of Trade Skills Excellence".

The Institute is seen as a move by big business to provide 
accreditation, especially since the current body overseeing trade 
accreditation, the Australian National Training Authority, is 
being abolished from July 1, 2005.

Even small business and private providers are up in arms over the 
federal government move, with the Australian Council of Private 
Education and Training slamming the Institute proposal.

"This will create a narrow competency base for the short-term 
needs of big business", said Mr Bradley.

Unions are currently preparing a response to the Government's 
Australian Technical Colleges proposal.