Erina training centre inaccessible, says Della Bosca

Minister for Education and Training Mr John Della Bosca has claimed that Federal Government plans to establish a private training centre at Erina would disadvantage students from Woy Woy.

He said the Erina plan was "ill-conceived and poorly-located to meet the needs of the Central Coast".

He said that Federal Liberal Members "Ken Ticehurst and Jim Lloyd have boastfully said that this training centre would benefit students from right across the Central Coast, but how are students from Woy Woy going to get there"?

Mr Della Bosca said the preferred site was too far from the train line and public transport and would be a logistical nightmare for local students.

"This is poorly thought out and reeks of a desperate last minute attempt to prop up their ineffective MPs Jim Lloyd and Ken Ticehurst in the shadow of a federal election," Mr Della Bosca said.

"Despite the fact that these training centres are doomed to begin with, this proposed site only highlights the Howard Government's complete lack of ability and experience to properly plan.

"If they are going to push ahead with the private provider, it should at least be accessible by train and a public transport interchange just like our TAFEs are.

"The NSW Department of Education and Training offered to work with the Commonwealth to identify a suitable site and a model that would best meet the needs of all students on the Central Coast.

"Instead of working with the education experts - the people who actually have some experience in running schools - they arrogantly pursued their own agenda with a disastrous result.

"The Howard Government have again proved their complete disregard for the real needs of the region, and this only cements the fact that they are arrogant and out of touch."

Mr Della Bosca called for the Howard Government to upgrade the Ourimbah campus, Wyong and Gosford TAFEs and to assist in the development of the Wyong and Brisbane Water Trade Schools.

"Instead of buying land, building classrooms and employing staff on cut-rate Workplace Agreements, the Commonwealth could fund a substantial capital upgrade of local TAFEs and create literally thousands of local apprenticeships," Mr Della Bosca said.

"While ATCs have failed to attract enrolments, with the Commonwealth's own internal documents revealing enrolments are just one fifth of their targets, we have literally thousands of students on the Central Coast training through TAFE NSW.

"State-wide TAFE has 500,000 enrolments and we have 70,000 NSW senior students studying vocational education in our public schools with 1600 school-based trainees and 100 school-based apprentices.

"Commonwealth funding of $16 million of would be better spent upgrading public education facilities on the Central Coast where students are actually enrolled."

Press release, 3 Oct 2007 John Della Bosca, Minister for Education and Training