The increase in fees to courses including hospitality and trade is not a result of funding cuts, according to South Coast MP Shelley Hancock.

Labor candidates met with the members of the TAFE Teachers Association on Thursday to make public their disappointment about the hiccups encountered with the Smart and Skilled reform and pressure on students as a result of government cuts to education.

Shadow minister for education and training Ryan Park said while he wasn’t certain of the exact figure, the cut to TAFE education funds was substantial.

“This government has cut $1.6 billion out of the education budget right across the board, that’s including TAFE, and we are already seeing the move of sacking in excess of 1000 staff which makes it very difficult for students to access high quality education,” he said.

“We’re here today because we want to make it very clear that the government’s position on the Smart and Skilled reform is wrong and we don’t think students in regional and rural areas, like here in Bomaderry, should be paying exorbitant fees simply to access high-quality education.

“We know in areas like this unemployment is a problem. We know that access to education facilities is a problem and through massive fee increases and this week, which saw the new IT system crash, is making it nearly impossible for many students to access the training they need to enter the workforce.”

Mrs Hancock said there had been an 11 per cent increase to TAFE funding under the latest budget.

“Everything they have said is a lie,” she said.

“These claims that education is going backwards is actually undermining TAFE’s brand message and potentially making people lose faith in TAFE when it is, in fact, moving forward and gaining strength.

“TAFE NSW holds 80 per cent of the share in the training market – the other 20 per cent is in the private sector and that sits about the same as it always has.”

Mrs Hancock said since 2011 $2.3 billion had been allocated to vocational education with $1.68 billion of that directed to TAFE NSW.

“We are not moving to privatise TAFE. Labor’s line that we are pushing students out of TAFE is utter rot,” she said.

“When there were cuts to arts departments under Labor I protested against that and I would do the same now if there was a loss in courses.

“Some course prices have increased this year, but that is most likely CPI and happens every year.” 

NSW TAFE Teachers Association president Phil Chadwick said the hospitality course on the Nowra Campus had been forced to cut six weeks in training due to funding cuts.

“They are unable to provide the same amount of face to face hours of what they’ve previously done,” he said.

“My question to both Ward and Hancock is with the time stripped from student’s learning as a result of another cut, what is going to be the effect on the overall result of the quality of graduates from electricians, plumbers etc.?”

Mr Chadwick said the glitch in the Smart and Skilled software system meant students could not enrol into their courses.

“Teachers were working on sheets of paper, unaware of how many students they had enrolled in classes or even which classes were running,” he said.

“TAFE courses start on Monday.

“It’s my understanding that the system is now working.”