NSW Shadow Minister for Skills and TAFE, Tim Crakanthorp highlighted the issue with Labor’s candidate for the State seat of East Hills, Kylie Wilkinson, at the campus last week, “where enrolments halved from 2011 to 2019 and the number of staff assigned to the campus has been slashed by two-thirds in the last decade”.
Mr Crakanthorp said additionally, specially designed classrooms for automotive and hospitality were no longer in use, with students having to travel to Campbelltown, Wetherill Park or Granville to access these courses.
Ms Wilkinson said the data had stoked fears that the campus could end up on the chopping block, a move that would be devastating for the surrounding community.
“The Padstow campus has been serving the community for over 40 years,” she said.
“I’ve studied here and it used to be absolutely thriving, but now it’s a shadow of its former self.”
Mr Crakanthorp said it was a pattern being repeated at TAFE campuses right across the State, where State Government neglect has driven down enrolment and completion rates since 2011.
“There’s a lot of work to do to get TAFE back to where it used to be,” he said.
“Our first step will be to get those completion rates back up, by making skills training desirable for both potential students and potential employers … we know that we can restore it to its former glory.”
Fight to restore local TAFE
EMPYT classrooms have become the norm at Padstow TAFE as the skills crisis bites south-western Sydney, and the youth unemployment rate still sits at over 10 per cent, according the State Opposition.