“Since I started working at Inverell TAFE in 1995, I have seen a progressive dismantling of a fabulous public institution that provided the skills for everything we needed to grow our local economy,” said Federation post-school officer for North Coast, New England, North Sydney and Western Institutes, Kathy Nicholson.

“This latest IT debacle is almost the last straw.” 

Ms Nicholson spoke out about a recent document The Inverell Times received from TAFE Inverell, stating staff concerns within the campus.

The document lists several issues about the new EBS student management system introduced in January of this year. EBS has been problematic for TAFE campuses across the state.

Ms Nicholson said successive NSW governments have spent over “half a billion of your dollars on an IT system that doesn’t work”.

“This system has been foisted on TAFE at the same time as TAFEs are also having to implement the flawed Smart and Skilled privatisation of our public vocational education sector,” she said.

The Smart and Skilled reforms were launched by the NSW State Training Services in January. The reforms affect all registered training organisations that deliver vocational education.

The reforms were created to target relevant and growing industries in NSW.

Students now have a narrower selection of funded certificates, funding eligibility, range of certificates funded, and all fees have risen state-wide.

“The privatisation of funding has increased fees beyond the reach of many Inverell people and put many young people into debt,” Ms Nicholson said.

“It is time Adam Marshall intervened and got the system fixed.”

The Inverell TAFE list of staff concerns highlights a mounting load of administrative demands, at a cost to teaching responsibilities.

“TAFE teachers in Inverell are struggling under a hugely increased workload,” Ms Nicholson said.

“All TAFE teachers want to do in Inverell is teach students so that they can get jobs and have decent lives. Now they can’t even do their job properly.”

Ms Nicholson encouraged NSW students and communities to makes submissions to the state Upper House Inquiry into the impact of Smart and Skilled.