Since April, The Examiner has been campaigning for exactly that, through its Pick Up the Tools campaign.

The impetus for the campaign was the turbulent times experienced by our public provider, TasTAFE, in the wake of a nepotism scandal, ensuing Integrity Commission report and an ongoing external audit.

On Thursday, the external and independent audit released its report in full, which was tabled in Parliament by Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff.

The report investigated nine areas where improvements could be made and more robust practices put in place regarding the governance of the government organisation.

Each of the nine areas received recommendations and had at least a “high risk” instance where compliance was not being followed.

The report highlighted a lack of leadership that ensured the correct practices were being followed, particularly in the areas of credit card use, entertainment and travel allowances and conflict of interest issues.

It also confirmed the serious allegations found also in the Integrity Commission report, tabled last year, that levelled claims of nepotism at the feet of former chief executive Stephen Conway.

For a government institution, that is concerning.

However, during the past year, there has one thing that has not changed about TasTAFE – the delivery of its education in Tasmania has not been in question.

Pick Up the Tools has lobbied to highlight the successes of the sector, while also analysing its challenges and ways to fix them. It also investigates the link between VET education and our current apprentice and trainee crisis.

There is no doubt Tasmania, with its rural and remote landscape, is in desperate need of a robust public VET provider. It is vitally needed to ensure skill gaps are addressed and that the future workforce Tasmania needs has access to high-quality industry training.

While the audit report has been long-awaited, and its extensive list of recommendations exhausting, the report is an opportunity to end a long and bumpy road for TasTAFE. It’s hoped that now the report is public and recommendations are being implemented, the business of TasTAFE can and will become even stronger.