National TAFE Day 2021
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 126 No 6, 3 September 2021, page no.21
Wednesday 11 August was National TAFE Day, and while COVID restrictions meant that in-person celebrations were not possible in all regions of Queensland and had to be postponed, members elsewhere made sure that the day didn’t go by unmarked.
Bundaberg, Hervey Bay and Emerald Branches were not impacted by the restrictions and took the opportunity to celebrate what makes TAFE great with staff and students.
Emerald Branch called upon the government to ensure that a guaranteed minimum 70 per cent of VET funding is directed to TAFE as the public provider, and members backed their stance by signing the open letter to the Prime Minister.
At a barbecue in Hervey Bay, QTU TAFE Council Representative and TAFE teacher Franco Laviano reinforced this message: “When I was an apprentice some years ago, TAFE was the training provider that helped me get qualified. There were no fees and more practical work than theory, and we enjoyed being there. Today, TAFE is still as relevant because during and after the COVID pandemic, TAFE has a significant role to play in upskilling our workforce and rebuilding our economy.”
National TAFE Day was the perfect opportunity to raise community awareness of the Rebuild with TAFE campaign, and it was heart-warming to see so many politicians posting in support of the campaign message on social media.
If you and your colleagues did anything to mark the day, please send your photos, videos and stories to tafe@qtu.asn.au, and don’t forget to sign the open letter to the Prime Minister at rebuildwithtafe.org.au