'Sad place': Brian Hughes at the Essendon campus of Kangan Institute. Picture: Michael Copp
FIVE courses will be slashed from the Moonee Ponds and Essendon Kangan Institute of TAFE campuses, while fees for the remaining courses could double in the wake of the drastic funding cuts announced by the state government.
Premier Ted Baillieu announced $300 million in subsidies would be withdrawn from TAFEs as part of the 2012-13 budget measures.
The courses to close in Moonee Valley will be the diploma of leisure and health, diploma of practice management, certificate II in retail, certificate III in retail and certificate IV in printing and graphic arts.
Kangan chief executive Ray Griffiths said 52 courses across all campuses would stop taking enrolments from mid-year.
"Regrettably, we will be announcing a
number of redundancies from Moonee Ponds and Essendon as we come to grips with that," he said.
"The courses closing were unviable and we are working very hard to find other courses that are [viable]; that is why we aren't making definite statements about job losses until the end of the year.
"Of course, it's a challenge for all concerned, but it's important for the community to understand that 80-85 per cent of all our courses are unaffected.
"Regarding the courses closing, we will be working very hard to replace them with other courses."
The Moonee Ponds campus will continue to run its successful diploma of nursing course with increased fees.
"We will work out fee increases across the board, including for the nursing diploma.
''With reduced government subsidies, we have to make up the difference with fees."
National Tertiary Education Union president Brian Hughes said TAFE campuses were sad places since the funding overhaul was announced.
"Everyone is walking around wondering whether they've still got a job or whether they will still have a job down the track - that's the doom and gloom side of things.
"Pressure has got to be kept on the state government to rescind some of these things."
Mr Hughes said that as well as course closures and job losses, the resulting fee hikes for courses that would remain with diminished funding would hurt low-income students.
"Broadmeadows, for example, is not the richest area so [fee hikes] will impact heavily, I would say.
"And the nursing in Moonee Ponds is in high demand so putting the costs up will hit right across the board. TAFEs have to do anything they can to keep their heads above water."