2015-11-09
The Australian Greens are calling on the Government to ban brokers in the VET FEE HELP system in light of an paltry 8% graduation rate.
"It is a terrible indictment on a broken system that only 8% of students who start a course are likely to finish it," the Greens Higher Education Spokesperson, Senator Robert Simms said.
New research from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCEVER) shows that students attending externally, who are not employed and who are undertaking a course at advanced diploma level have an 8% probability of completing their course.
"Many of these students are being preyed upon by brokers who sign them up for courses that statistically they are unlikely to ever complete, shackling students and taxpayers with mammoth debts.
"The Government and Labor need to stop playing the blame game and fix this terrible mess. The Greens have proposed banning brokers who are fundamental to propping up this failed model.
"Currently, there is a perverse incentive for brokers to act against the interests of the potential student. And this debacle won't improve until this incentive is removed."
Media contact: Cambell Klose 0417 173 508