The NSW Government on Wednesday extended its support to the communities recovering from bushfires with a range of fee-free vocational education courses, following an initial suite of courses announced earlier this year on the South Coast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
This move was welcomed by Rob Long, the Illawarra TAFE organiser for the NSW Teachers Federation.
But Mr Long called on the government to go even further by making all TAFE courses fee free.
He said with an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people in the Illawarra out of a job due to the COVID-19 pandemic, now was the perfect time to offer all courses for free.
"From what we've been told there has been a huge uptake in the fee free courses already offered by the government," Mr Long said.
"This huge demand for these free courses through TAFE shows that particularly right now people who have lost their job or feel concerned they may lose their job, want to retrain.
"We just believe right now is the critical time for not just existing students but the community to get access to really high quality vocational education.
"So, when the jobs do start coming up people are ready and they are not wasting their time now, they can get access to skills so they can be job ready when the economy bounces back."
Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said more than 500 people were enrolled in the fee-free courses in the South Coast.
Late last month TAFE NSW also introduced 13 new fee-free short courses online to help anyone in the state who wants to upskill during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move followed an overwhelming response to an initial suite of courses announced in early April.
Mr Long said the interest in these courses highlighted the need to support teachers and students alike and offer all TAFE courses fee free.
Meantime, prior to going on leave, TAFE NSW chief delivery officer Kerry Penton thanked everyone for the phenomenal effort to get Term 2 up and running.
"The ongoing support you are providing to our students is inspiring, and a wonderful demonstration of our customer-first value in action. It's a wonderful feeling to be able to take leave knowing that our students are well and truly cared for during this COVID-19 crisis," Penton said.
Our COVID-19 news articles relating to public health and safety are free for anyone to access. However, we depend on subscription revenue to support our journalism. If you are able, please subscribe here. If you are already a subscriber, thank you for your support.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
