SCHOOLS across Brimbank are spending less on key resources and materials as cuts to vocational education funding start to bite.
An Opposition survey of 116 schools affected by cuts to Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) co-ordination funding shows about 80per cent had to make sacrifices to continue running the program.
The survey reveals some schools are employing less teachers and going into debt in order to keep VCAL going.
VCAL, which is designed to keep young people in school by combining industry experience with their education, has been offered in Victoria since 2003.
Harvester Technical College acting principal Mark Natoli said the
school had been affected on
multiple fronts.
“In order to keep our staff we have had to cut back on buying important materials and resources for our students. We always used the funding to allow for co-ordination of our VCAL program, but this won’t happen any more so the cuts will impact on the way the program is run.”
Mr Natoli was concerned at the impact the funding cuts would have on the school. “We have new facilities and equipment, but in a few years’ time we’ll have to make updates and we’ll struggle to do so,” he said. “I hope we can still provide a nice place for young people to come to school.”
The principal of Catholic Regional College Sydenham, Brendan Watson, said the Melbourne archdiocese was covering this year’s funding losses.
But he said VCAL students would be severely disadvantaged in coming years.
“We are not guaranteed to be funded beyond this year, so more than 100 students at our school will not be given the additional support they require for their individual pathways,” Mr Watson said.
“VCAL has been successful in keeping young people in school and helping them get the skills and education they need to enter the workforce.”
Education Minister Martin Dixon’s spokesman, James Martin, said the survey conducted by the Opposition was “blatant propaganda”.
“They haven’t even bothered to hire an independent body to run the survey and it is just designed to attack the government,” he said.
“About 15 new schools have come on board with VCAL this year, which shows it is running successfully.
“The only change has been with the co-ordination funding, which hasn’t impacted on students.”
