TAFE changes a positive for students

Changes to WA’s TAFE system came into effect on Monday, with an education chief from Rockingham highlighting the benefits to students in the region.

Eleven colleges and their 70 campus locations will now be managed by a network of five TAFE bases.

This means Challenger Institute of Technology and Polytechnic West will form South Metropolitan TAFE.

This TAFE structure takes in institutions in Rockingham, Kwinana and Mandurah.

South Metropolitan TAFE interim managing director Terry Durant said it would be business as usual for those looking to learn.

“From students and lecturers’ perspectives there has been no change — life carries on as normal,” she said.

“With the TAFE brand coming back into the mix, there won’t be any change locally.”

The State Government announced about 200 redundancies were likely across WA.

Ms Durrant said any job losses in the South Metropolitan region would be made up of operational staff.

“There will be some (job losses), but it is really too early to tell how many positions will be directly impacted,” she said.

“I’m not expecting it to be major but there will be some job changes and amalgamations.”

Ms Durrant said she had no concerns local resources would become stretched and the new system would benefit students.

“The primary benefit is around increased collaboration, and in the medium term (it will) also lead to increase course offerings,” she said.

“What we can do now is take the best of breed across the five colleges and share that more collaboratively than has been in the past.

“From a student’s perspective it will lead to improved outcomes.”