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The Office of Training and Tertiary Education (OTTE) commissioned the Have Your Say project to encourage an open, collegial and inclusive dialogue with TAFE Institute teachers about issues affecting the quality of teaching and learning in the Victorian TAFE system. The project was expected to make a valuable contribution to the development of strategic policy direction for the TAFE teaching workforce by providing the opportunity for teachers to comment on the development needs of the TAFE teaching workforce as a distinct professional group. The aim of the project was to gather information on the views of Victorian TAFE teachers and other staff on issues such as: teaching and learning in TAFE; the changing role and identity of the TAFE teaching professional; the skills required of teachers in the modern TAFE workforce; and the challenges facing the TAFE system.

Based on the data gathered from TAFE teachers through the qualitative and quantitative aspects of this research, it can be concluded that although TAFE teachers generally derive high satisfaction from the work of teaching in TAFE, especially through interacting with students and colleagues, they have significant concerns about issues at the system and professional level. These concerns include: with an increasing focus on commercialisation in the sector, many teachers are not confident that the standard of education provided to students is being appropriately monitored; many teachers consider that minimum standards of resourcing are not in place to ensure that equipment and materials are available to teach effectively; the role of the TAFE teacher is seen as poorly defined, heightening the tension between new broader responsibilities and traditional role expectations; and job security, wages and conditions are not seen as at an appropriate level to attract and retain skilled and motivated teaching professionals to TAFE.

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