By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The state Department of Education and Training launched a weekly audit of a much-lamented mental health course at the Chisholm Institute.
Meanwhile, the law firm Gordon Legal is investigating a potential class action lawsuit on behalf of frustrated and distraught students of the online course.
As Star News reported last week, Southeast-based TAFE’s online Certificate IV in Mental Health course has been suspended for several months after an internal review.
This was in response to a litany of complaints from students, such as poor training materials, faulty links and videos, and a lack of available trainers.
The course has been offered as a free TAFE program to address the shortage of mental health workers across the state.
A DET spokesperson said the department would come to Chisholm on a weekly basis to monitor delivery of the course “ensuring it meets industry standards.”
“We are incredibly disappointed that this course has clearly fallen short of the high standards of our free TAFE programs.
“We will work to ensure no other Chisholm students have this experience and will consider an audit of other online mental health courses to ensure they are all providing the quality training Victorian students deserve.”
The department stated that it would meet with student representatives to “get the necessary job training they need to make a difference in our mental health system.”
A spokesperson for Chisholm stated that he appreciated the “additional support … to ensure students have the best learning experience” from the Department.
In March, the education of 200 students was put on hold while Chisholm upgraded the Certificate IV in Mental Health, the Diploma in Mental Health and the Diploma in Alcohol and Other Drugs.
Chisholm had stated that his review “identified that a number of assessment items needed to be updated and brought in line with industry requirements.”
The “vast majority” of students remain enrolled online and continue their studies without further delay, Chisholm said.
Upon resuming on July 11, student Rachel Scanlon said the course materials did not appear to have been updated.
He reported that there were still bad videos and web links, and missing teachers. And he faces an excess of six evaluations to do in his first week back.
Ms. Scanlon was hoping to finish her Certificate IV and look for paid work last month. But the end date was now possibly December.
After stress and anxiety, student Leigh Lambert switched to another training provider.
Learning was “impossible” due to lack of teaching support and poor assessments and materials that “didn’t make sense”. Her first chaotic modules in 2022 were a “waste of time”.
Chisholm responded to their complaints with vague answers, he says.
“I questioned my own sanity and what the future held.
“He wasn’t properly preparing people to be trained and ready for the industry.”
Gordon Legal partner Andrew Grech said the potential class action lawsuit was only in the early stages of investigation, but “on the surface, it looks pretty bad.”
It appeared to share a “troubling pattern” with the company’s class action lawsuit for more than 1,000 aviation students against Box Hill TAFE.
In both matters, the institutes appeared to “not have proper governance of the courses and not properly monitor them,” Grech said.
