Consultants called in to fix TAFE mess
Feb 07, 2012
David Pisoni MP
Shadow Minister for Education
Shadow Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education
Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Development
Consultants called in to fix TAFE mess
While Skills Minister Tom Kenyon has been busy enjoying the smooth ride of his imported ministerial car, racing lizards and listening to rap music, his office and department have fallen into disarray.
Shadow Minister for Training and Further Education David Pisoni says the latest call for consultants by Mr Kenyon’s department suggests that TAFE management in South Australia has become inefficient and inflexible.
Tender documents released this week call for expressions of interest for the provision of a timetabling system for TAFE SA and list numerous deficiencies that the Labor Government has failed to address, including:
- Students “forced” into making choices with limited visibility of options.
- It is practically impossible to optimise all people, facilities, resources across the entire system.
- The business rules are not clear and vary from institute to institute and program to program.
- No centralised planning and scheduling.
- Duplication of program scheduling among three institutes.
- Changes are very difficult and labour intensive to handle (adds significant cost for a non-value-added activity).
- Planners and management cannot “see” the impact of decisions, changes and costs.
- Performance information is completely separate from planning and scheduling.
“It’s time Mr Kenyon – the sixth Labor Training and Skills Minister in six years - focused more on jobs and opportunities for South Australians rather than on the personal trappings of his office,” Mr Pisoni said.
“It’s little wonder South Australian students are paying the highest TAFE fees in the nation – these documents show they are actually paying the price of Labor’s poor management of the TAFE system.
“South Australians in Ramsay and Port Adelaide should not forget this when they go to the polls and vote on the 11th of February.”