It was heartening to hear there’s been a small increase in business growth in the region.

If there’s one thing Goulburn desperately needs is more jobs.

What was clear from the article was the call from small business owners for a variety of skills training required for their prospective employees.

If only Goulburn had a TAFE campus. Oh, wait – we do. 

Unfortunately, it’s a shell of what it once was and what it could be again.

The deliberate defunding of TAFE, the attempted implementation of an inept computer system, but most importantly the loss of high calibre teaching staff is a blatant attempt by the LNP government to dismantle the system.

A system the business community not only considers vital but is also calling for with one united voice.

The tabloid media continually demands Newstart recipients “get a job”. Each TAFE course now costs may thousands of dollars. How much assistance do Newstart recipients receive towards the cost of skills retraining? 

The answer is zero, nil, nada, zip.

It’s putting the cart before the horse. You need the skills in order to get a job, but before you can get that job you’re supposed to ‘find’ thousands of dollars to spend on training.

It’s not rocket science (another skills-based job) to see what the solutions are.

We need to reinvest in TAFE to restore it to the worthy, dynamic training institution we all need it to be and to make courses affordable – especially to those who need them most.

The question is, when will we see these solutions implemented?

Sonya Smythe, Goulburn