By BRIDGET COOK
WILLIAM Angliss Institute has confirmed that is will close the doors to its Cranbourne campus at the end of the year.
With the institute’s lease to end in December, the food, hospitality, tourism and events TAFE has decided to cease operation at the Cranbourne location.
The institute provided mainly VCE and VCAL courses and programs aimed at helping vulnerable young people to get training and find employment.
Chief executive officer Nicholas Hunt said the institute only had two contracted staff positions and their contracts were due to expire at the end of the year.
He said there would be other options for student who still wished to study at William Angliss Institute.
“All courses operating at the Cranbourne Campus, totalling less than 100 students, were due to have a natural conclusion at the end of this semester and, as such, current programs will continue as planned,” he said.
“The institute will continue to provide the courses that were run through the Cranbourne campus at our easily accessible CBD campus, and as in other states, will also continue to have mobile training staff to facilitate training at various off-site locations as required.
“The institute also continues to operate its many school-based VCE/VET and VCAL programs run throughout Victorian and NSW secondary schools.
“Our support of community and youth engagement programs continues.”
Shadow Skills Minister Steve Herbert visited the site with Cranbourne MP Jude Perera last week and blamed the Napthine Government’s TAFE funding cuts for the closure.
However, a spokeswoman for Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall hit back at the claims and said William Angliss was given more funding last year than under Labor.
“There is a crisis in TAFE in Victoria with the staff and students from William Angliss Institute being the latest victims,” Mr Herbert said.
Mr Perera said the closure of the Cranbourne campus was devastating as the courses at William Angliss helped vulnerable young people to get training and find employment.
“It is small specialised campuses like this, which are vital in helping vulnerable kids gain valuable skills, that were going to be first on the chopping block,” he said.
“For many of these students, it was their only option.
“They might have dropped out of school, or not made their next step and William Angliss Institute gave them opportunities for a future.”
“This is where the great initiative of the Cranbourne Community Kitchens was born and, on occasions, students from the hospitality and re-engagements courses served up to 500 meals on any night.”
The spokeswoman for Mr Hall said the decision, while a disappointing one, was a matter for the William Angliss board.
“The Victorian Coalition Government provided a record $1.2 billion for training in 2012-13,” she said.
“There is more money being invested in the training industry today than ever before.”
