Victorian TAFE teachers work nearly a day unpaid every week
Victorian TAFE teachers average seven unpaid hours weekly, costing the sector roughly $108.7 million annually in lost wages.
Victoria's TAFE system is the lowest-funded per hour of teaching in Australia, nearly $2 less than the national average. Teachers are filling the gap with unpaid work, averaging seven hours weekly.
Across the Victorian TAFE workforce, that amounts to up to $108.7 million in unpaid wages each year. The problem started when Free TAFE launched in 2019, boosting enrolments in areas like construction, agriculture, finance, hospitality, health and aged care, but funding didn't rise to match the extra students.
Nearly 60 per cent of TAFE teachers have considered leaving. Larger class sizes mean less one-on-one time for students needing literacy, numeracy or language support.
The funding model pays for teaching hours only, not other essential work.
- 7 hours
- Unpaid hours per teacher weekly
- $108.7 million
- Annual lost wages statewide
- Nearly $2 below national average
- Funding gap per teaching hour
- Nearly 60 percent
- Teachers considering leaving
Why it mattersTeacher shortages threaten Victoria's ability to train workers for critical skills gaps, and training quality suffers when educators are stretched too thin.
AustraliaVictoria faces a workforce crisis if TAFE teachers leave, affecting the supply of trained workers in construction, health, aged care and other high-demand fields.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 7 d ago
