Pirie College of TAFE: a planning study

The work undertaken in the preparation of this report has demonstrated conclusively that the Pirie College is under resourced in terms of staff, facilities and equipment. This is apparent in terms of the distribution of the College's resources across the region and the less than adequate provision of the vocational and access programmes. Improvements to facilities and staffing levels on the Yorke Peninsula are long overdue, whilst improvements to facilities in Peterborough should be regarded as a long term planning target in the present financial climate. Pt Pirie's new facilities are adequate for present demands, but have some design limitations with regard to child care and student amenities in particular.

The Pirie College, formed by the amalgamation of three under resourced colleges (Pt Pirie, Yorke Peninsula and Northern) has resource limitations that restrict its capabilities for meeting the educational needs of the communities it serves, as the three former colleges were similarly restricted. Additional resourcing of the order indicated in this report should enable the Pirie College to become a more successful and truly regional college in the 1990s. The overall impact of the formation of the Pirie College since 1985 has seen an improved service delivery to students but it has led to increased costs in administration and coordination. The study has identified an increasing population into the 1990s levelling off between 1991 and 1996 with an ongoing shift in the population balance towards the Yorke Peninsula. The prospect of an ageing population, particularly on the Yorke Peninsula, has the potential to mask the considerable numbers within the youth age groups (15-24) traditionally TAFE's main client group. This would be undesirable as it appears that the majority of young people stay the within area, even if unable to obtain local employment.

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