A boom in construction and other trades has an an impact on recruitment for TasTAFE teachers as people with industry don't have all the right skills.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Teacher recruitment at TasTAFE has been in the spotlight after it was revealed that some courses have had to be delayed due to teaching staff shortages.
Electrotechnology students were forced to delay their courses due to staffing and, more recently, nursing students in the south were also told their qualifications would be delayed due to a shortage of qualified markers.
TasTAFE chief executive Jenny Dodd said the vocational education provider was actively recruiting for nursing and for the trades but find it challenging to find the right people from industry to meet its teaching needs.
"One challenge for TasTAFE, as well as other TAFEs across the country, is that many people with relevant industry experience don't have their TAE (teaching and assessment qualification) and this takes significant time to attain," Ms Dodd said.
However, Ms Dodd said TasTAFE was working actively to address teacher recruitment issues over the past six months.
RELATED STORY: Teacher shortage solution draws disappointment
A recruitment campaign is running in Tasmania and on the mainland to attract people from interstate who might want to become TasTAFE teacher staff.
However, Ms Dodd said the challenge remained to find people who had relevant teaching qualifications and the right industry experience.
"To address this TasTAFE has created a new position titled teacher under supervision," she said.
"This is a workforce development strategy that TasTAFE have been working on for some time. TasTAFE have been working with the State Service Management Office to develop this agency-specific recruitment program over the last two months.
A similar proposal has been made by the Australian Education Union Tasmania branch, during its negotiations for TasTAFE staff in their wages agreement.
"TasTAFE teachers, like all vocational teachers, need to have their Teaching and Assessment qualification. They also need current experience in their industry as industry currency is a requirement for vocational teachers," Ms Dodd said.
"This challenge is not just TasTAFE's, but a shared challenge for the Tasmanian industry as a whole. We are actively talking with industry groups to see how they can assist in recruiting more teachers."