Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria—Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education) (11:29): Teachers are important, and that is why the Andrews Labor government recently launched a new TAFE teacher recruitment campaign and TAFE teacher scholarship program. We promised that we would rebuild TAFE, and we have. TAFE enrolments are higher than in our first year of government, and that means we need a pipeline of industry experts to take the plunge and become TAFE teachers. I am pleased that there are up to 200 study assistance scholarships valued at $10 000 each, and we are looking forward to having new teachers in areas such as health and community services, construction and electrotechnology.
The two faces of the campaign are current TAFE teachers at Chisholm TAFE. The first is Bec Newman. Bec is an electrician who started her apprenticeship with the family business at 17. Despite the trade being male dominated, Bec is grateful for the support of her dad to follow her passion. Two years ago Bec was offered the opportunity to become a TAFE teacher after a great electrical career, and she has not looked back. As Bec says:
Teaching at TAFE allows me to still enjoy the trade I love, and I still keep in contact with industry, which is a great part of the job.
The other person in the campaign is Ian Balducci. Ian is a nursing teacher and education manager. Ian was a registered nurse for many years before becoming a VET teacher in 2010. He joined Chisholm in 2019. Until last year Ian also continued to work as a registered nurse in aged care. Both Bec and Ian are fantastic ambassadors to encourage Victorians to become TAFE teachers. So, as the catchcry says, ‘If you have the know-how, TAFE will teach you to show how’.
