A journey through the TAFE swamp    073

In blog 039 I spoke about TAFE as being an effective post-secondary educational choice, and how not all children need a university education. Ironically though another aspect of what TAFE can offer is an alternative pathway to further study at a university. Some colleges of TAFE run what is called a Tertiary Preparation Course (TPC), for this purpose.

Recently a father recounted to me what happened when he and his son sought information about the TPC. I think it most worthwhile to recount the story in detail as it is both unbelievable and instructive at the same time. Well, the father telephoned the TAFE central information centre, during April, to ask about the TPC beginning in the second semester, in July. The woman who responded to the enquiry did not seem sure about the enrolment date but did supply the name and number of the head teacher of the course at Randwick TAFE.

Things seemed unclear so the father and son went to Randwick TAFE. Guess what? The head teacher had nothing to do with the TPC, and even worse Randwick TAFE does not have the course, and hasn’t had the course for years. It seems that Ultimo TAFE has the course. Helpfully an academic counsellor at Randwick checked these details and supplied the names of some teachers involved. So, off to Ultimo.

An hour later. The father and son proceeded to the general counter at the information centre. No-one could supply a definite enrolment date but did explain that details would be on the TAFE website, but they were not there yet, and nobody knew exactly when they would be there.

But like Holmes and Watson our detectives proceeded to Level 5 in the same building, with the lift hidden away at the back entrance to the building, next to the loading dock. They called in at a teachers’ staffroom to be informed that Level 5 had only Community Services there, nothing at all to do with the TPC. But the teacher checked with another teacher and surprise, surprise the TPC was located just steps away, on the same floor. Well, who could have known?

I think now that fortune began favouring these persistent two TAFE explorers. By chance they happened to walk past a teacher’s office, and the teacher invited them in for a chat. This teacher was a TPC teacher, and was able to provide a TPC handbook. He explained the course content, organisation and options. Upon hearing all the difficulties this teacher explained that there was a certain ‘disconnect’ between teachers, teaching learning activities and the bureaucracy. This disconnect was so bad that the teachers in fact had set up their own TPC website, quite separate from the TAFE website. A revolution in the ranks, it would seem. This friendly and helpful teacher then e-mailed some material to the son.

He then went and found the head teacher of TPC, and arranged an almost immediate appointment. She was most helpful and provided very definitive dates and information. Finally, quite exhausted, the father and son were able to confirm that there would be an information session, a definite date, with enrolment to follow.

The point is that finding and speaking to these important two TAFE teachers, and finding out about the separate website, happened because these two teachers were available at the time the father and son called in. This was only good luck. All this information could and should have been provided on the telephone, in a matter of minutes.

Well the story continued, with the son making an appointment with a TAFE academic counsellor to review the appropriateness of the TPC for him. Do you want to know what happened? I think not—I think you have had enough by now.

But please, some lessons to learn: (1) when seeking information from TAFE expect the process to be very lengthy and very confusing so start very early; (2) all information should be double and triple checked; and (3) the best source of information seems to be the actual teachers themselves, so teachers should be actively sought out. Academic counsellors can also be authoritative sources. Simply chain yourself to the staffroom door or the office door of the head teacher and stay there someone comes out and tells you what you want to know. Remember, you need to always confirm information. If for example you are told that a TAFE course is acceptable for enrolment at a particular university, then check with that university. You might find that yes, the TAFE course does indeed makes you child eligible for university enrolment but since entry to that course is competitive the TAFE course does not guarantee entry. Or you might find out that age limits apply, also.

My experiences with TAFE in the past suggest that the present situation is relatively new. Hopefully things will improve in the future but in the meantime you and your children must to be very patient and very strategic in how you approach TAFE. Good luck.

All content copyright—Mark Thackray—Australian Educational Services