In Australia, carpentry course delays could postpone qualifications by a year — ABC News Australia

In the Australian city of Alice Springs, delays in carpentry courses at Charles Darwin University (CDU) could postpone apprentices’ qualifications by up to a year. ABC News Australia reports.

Second-year student Lucas Nitschke expected to complete the CDU TAFE carpentry program by the end of the year. According to him, staff shortages delayed the teaching of certain subjects, meaning the completion of his studies could be postponed by up to 12 months.

Cancelled training blocks

Nitschke said that the third training block at the vocational school, scheduled from September to October, was cancelled a few days before it was due to begin. It was already the second cancelled block during the year.

According to the student, about 10 students are in a similar situation. He said that after completing more than half of his second year, he had been able to finish only one block this year and was at least nine months behind. Nitschke also complained about limited communication from the university.

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CDU’s explanation and previous problems

A CDU representative said that carpentry classes in Alice Springs had been delayed again due to the prolonged absence of a qualified instructor. At the same time, ABC News Australia reports that the instructor resigned from the position. The university noted that finding qualified trainers is a difficult task throughout the Northern Territory.

In February, ABC reported an error in the TAFE carpentry program that forced hundreds of tradespeople who had been considered qualified to return to study to complete subjects. After that, two senior university officials resigned, including Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman.

CDU also halted plans to open a campus in London, on which it had already spent nearly $2 million. In June, the university was ordered to pay more than $4 million in unpaid wages after underpayments affecting more than 800 employees between 2016 and 2022 were identified. Last month, the Northern Territory government announced a review of its partnership with CDU and the introduction of new performance indicators for the institution.