Institute Director’s Official Response to The Chronicle Story, Thursday 19 July 2012
Friday, 20 July 2012
Dear Colleagues,
You may have seen media reports claiming there will be more than 100 job cuts at Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE (SQIT).
From the outset, I want to be very clear. This is incorrect.
As many of you are aware, the Department of Education, Training and Employment (along with all other government departments) has been asked to examine service delivery and support services as part of cost-reducing measures.
As part of our weekly reporting process with the Department, we were asked to identify SQIT staff who were temporary, or acting in positions of higher duty.
This was shared openly at a recent meeting of our staff, and unfortunately, this information was twisted by the media.
Subsequently, you will have seen the rumour reported in the Toowoomba Chronicle as fact.
I want to reassure you that at no time has any decision been made with respect to current staffing levels at SQIT.
There is NO magic number and yet according to the media, it is set in stone. This could not be further from the truth.
I understand the angst this may have caused you when you read this story in our local paper today.
I have been in close contact with the Department and we are working to have this story rectified in the media.
Our Minister, the Honourable John-Paul Langbroek, was equally concerned about the inaccuracy of today's report and has also written to the Chronicle to set the record straight.
TAFE Institutes, in conjunction with the Department of Education, Training and Employment, regularly monitor and assess staffing numbers across Queensland.
TAFE Institutes need to make adjustments to staffing to ensure they continue to meet the training needs of the Queensland economy and their local areas, as well as ensuring the effective and efficient use of government funding.
SQIT continues to lead the way in education in the Surat Basin region with programs and courses in art, automotive, business, construction, creative media, engineering, hair and beauty, health, hospitality, information technology, retail, rural, tourism and transport, to name a few.
In 2011/12 we exceeded our delivery targets across all training areas, providing us with a range of new training opportunities.
In recent months, we have put on new staff in the mining and resource sector and we are still looking for experienced staff in electrical instrumentation, civil engineering, mining, drilling and hospitality.
Warm regards,
Trevor Schwenke
Institute Director - Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE