By Cam Lucadou-Wells
A series of complaints from its students has caused the Chisholm Institute to halt the admission of new July students for its online Certificate IV in Mental Health course.
Meanwhile, existing students at TAFE based in south-east Melbourne have put their studies on hold for the past four months while the course was brought up to “industry standards”.
They had complained about poor training materials, broken links and videos, and a lack of available trainers.
Amid a shortage of mental health workers in Victoria, a “distressed, disappointed and frustrated” senior Rachel Scanlon described the situation as a “debacle”.
As a result of the course suspension, Ms. Scanlon has not been able to finish her last two units.
She hoped to have completed her course in June and start looking for paid work.
“It looks like the end may now extend into December. Ironically, this is having an impact on our lives and our mental health.
“There is a high demand for mental health workers, but we cannot complete our course.”
Since March, students have received a “pathetic” lack of explanations and “vague and ambiguous” information about when online studies will resume.
Ms. Scanlon says that students also have a hard time finding jobs, which are a component of the course.
In 2020 and 2021, internships could not be carried out due to Covid lockdowns. This year, Ms. Scanlon has tried 40 organizations so far with no luck.
A spokesperson for the Chisholm Institute stated that demand for internships had increased due to a 427 per cent showing by students across the state to “support Victoria’s mental health reform”.
“Chisholm continues to support students in completing their job placement requirements.”
The spokesperson said the course review “identified that a number of assessment items were required to be updated and aligned with industry requirements.”
“In accordance with our quality processes, our course material and assessments are regularly reviewed to ensure they align with industry standards.
“We are aware of the growing demand for mental health professionals in the state and strive to ensure graduates of the highest caliber possible.”
There were no new student intakes in July “to ensure current students are supported by dedicated teachers.”
Since the suspension, students have received regular updates and been offered a variety of options, including transitioning to on-campus study, the spokesman said.
“Students have been able to complete their theoretical study during this time and as assessment items become available they are given to students to complete.”
All assessment items became available from July 2 and the next stage of the course resumed on July 11.
The course is part of the Free Tafe for Priority Courses program, due to the demand for mental health workers in Victoria.
A spokesperson for the Health and Community Services Union recently reported that there were 3,000 openings for mental health work, but a lack of qualified workers to fill them.
HCSU did not comment before the deadline.
Without the dedicated professionals who care for Victorians every day, the mental health system does not exist; That’s why our work to build the mental health system is supported by a massive expansion of the mental health workforce.
The workforce is critical to providing safe, effective, and compassionate care to consumers and their families, caregivers, and supporters.
The state government budget for 2022-23 included $372 million for more than 1,400 additional mental health professionals.
This included psychiatric registrars, mental health nurses, psychologists, and allied health physicians.
The Government says it has invested more than $600 million for 2,500 new workers and roles since the reports of the Royal Commission on the mental health system.
