TasTAFE has denied making any decisions about cutting courses or jobs, after a union claimed 26 staff positions and 12 courses are set to be axed.
The vocational education provider said it remains in early consultation with staff from its arts and design and laboratory technology programs.
Interim CEO Will McShane said no final decisions had been made about 2026 course offerings or staffing levels, following confirmation from the state government that subsidies for several courses would end next year.
“Our focus is on engaging with staff through the formal consultation process that is underway,” he said.
“Our consultation process is undertaken with care, transparency and respect.”
The Australian Education Union (AEU) said the institution planned to slash jobs and discontinue courses, including nine arts and design qualifications and the Certificate IV in Laboratory Techniques.
The union said around 500 students would be affected, with some courses to finish as early as December 2025.
“TasTAFE is the only provider of laboratory technology qualifications in Tasmania,” the AEU’s Emma Gill said.
“If Tasmania is no longer able to train laboratory technicians, schools won’t be able to find lab techs to support science education and that’s an absolute disaster for student outcomes.”
The AEU has blamed Skills Minister Felix Ellis for cutting course subsidies, saying it will lead to fee increases of up to 5,400% for some programs.
Ellis has previously said TasTAFE needed to focus on training people for careers that support the Tasmanian economy, pointing to construction and health as examples.
“[Minister Ellis] killed these TAFE courses the day he cut funding, but we question whether [he] even understands the consequences of what he’s done,” Gill said.
“No one denies the importance of health and care, construction and energy – but this is not an either/or choice. Cutting off some course to prop up others will only harm Tasmania.”
The union has called on the state government to reverse the subsidy cuts.
TasTAFE said consultations with affected staff would continue through this week.
