‘Outsider’ jibe at TAFE chief change
THE hospitality industry is concerned the appointment of a new TasTAFE chief executive from interstate will lead to further upheaval at the embattled training institute.
Tasmanian Hospitality Association general manager Steve Old says he is disappointed to see further structural change at the helm of TasTAFE, and would have preferred interim chief executive Mark Sayer or deputy chief executive Scott Marston to be appointed permanently.
Former TasTAFE chief executive Stephen Conway resigned from the organisation in May after an Integrity Com- mission investigation revealed nepotism allegations.
Earlier this month, the State Government announced his replacement would be Jenny Dodd, a chief academic officer at TAFE Queensland.
Mr Old said the THA’s concerns were not a personal attack on Ms Dodd.
He said the association had worked closely with TasTAFE over the past six months and he was concerned about the impact of another leadership change.
“It’s concerning to us, I think it’s concerning to the teachers at TasTAFE who have been rthrough a hell of a lot of change over the last couple of years,” Mr Old said.
“I can only relay what my members are saying, and that is they are a bit cautious and a bit nervous as to what’s going on.
“We’ll give the new CEO every opportunity to prove herself, but we are disappointed that we’re going through another structural change at the top of the tree.”
Mr Old warned the new TasTAFE boss against overhauling the new Drysdale subcommittee.
“If that is the case, to be honest, there’s a real danger that they’re going to lose the industry once again, and I think it would be really hard for them to get it back,” he said.
Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said Ms Dodd was assessed as the best person for the job through an independent recruitment process.
“TasTAFE is vital to providing the skills this state needs for a growing workforce, and I encourage all stakeholders to support the new appointment,” Mr Rockliff said.