TAFE workforce stretched to breaking point

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 131 No 2, 2 April 2026, page no 23.

The TAFE teaching workforce and its facilities are under extreme pressure, with complexity of students, increased enrolments, and ageing facilities impacting on teaching and learning.

The AEU’s 2026 State of Our TAFE report (see QR code) shows that, despite a recent injection of funding, the sector is still crying out for help.

With responses from 1,696 TAFE teachers across the country, the report shows widespread workload intensification, staff shortages, and declining retention, even as enrolments surge under a reinvigorated TAFE system. 

Nearly two-thirds of respondents said they had considered leaving their job in the past year, and almost half do not expect to still be working in TAFE within five years. The report shows 88 per cent of teachers knew a colleague who had left TAFE in the past 12 months. 

Teachers also reported significant increases in students presenting with mental health, literacy, numeracy, and digital skills needs, without additional learning or support services to meet that demand. 

The report also highlights chronic underinvestment in TAFE infrastructure, with outdated equipment and overcrowded campuses impacting on the system’s ability to meet local skills needs.

The AEU is calling on Commonwealth, state, and territory governments to urgently commit to a national TAFE workforce renewal and retention strategy, a significant capital works and equipment program, and guaranteed funding for ongoing student support.