10 November 2011
The shocking thing I heard on the No 86 tram
I am a Program Coordinator at NMIT. Last night while travelling on the 86 tram, I was appalled to overhear a young man bragging about his fabulous new job.
This is roughly verbatim his boast:
It's the easiest job ever. I get paid $50 to ring people and tell them that the Government is giving away free Diploma courses. I tell them they don't have to pay a thing; they can do any Diploma course they want entirely online, and the Government will pay the full fees.
Every person who signs up means I get $50. I've already made over $1,000! Do you want me to get you in on it?
This is the system the Government has created: so easy to rort. It's money made at the expense of teachers like me and my colleagues.
I decided not to challenge him, but instead got off the tram despairing that education about which I care so much has been so thoughtlessly and recklessly commodified.
— Posted by Catherine Davison, Program Coordinator, Study Skills Advisory Service, NMIT
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This story is shocking on so many levels! This practice is literally playing fast and loose with people’s lives. How can the Govt condone supporting a system where dodgy, under-regulated private training companies like this can access public funds to run their courses? These kids are potentially squandering their one shot at government funding for entry-level training. Too bad if they change their minds about what they want to do with their lives, or can’t find a job in the industry. You can be certain that bloke on the tram isn’t reading the fine print to his targets. This kind of scandalous practice proves how little some private RTOs care about their own students. (Seems $50 worth of their funding is already going to some telemarketer!)
Meanwhile, the Govt is constantly cutting funding to public TAFE, which guarantees high-quality training (and mentoring) by fully qualified teachers that actually care about their students and their job prospects.
Commisioning people to flog "free diplomas" should be outlawed now.
Simone, Thornbury, Victoria, 11 NOV 2011 10:32
Catherine, that passenger has nailed the heart of the issue. Some of these dodgy providers are offering such rubbish training that they can afford to run them on government funding alone, charge students nothing and still pocket a wad.
Is this what the government planned when it unleashed the market and opened up funding to the private sector? Why didn't it see it coming and why isn't it doing anything about it?
Nic, AEU Vic, 11 NOV 2011 10:13
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