TAFE NSW has not ruled out selling part or all of its Scone campus, saying it is "considering options for continuing the training which is currently available" at the site.
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NSW Teachers Federation Hunter representative Annette Bennett said TAFE NSW had opened a Connected Learning Centre (CLC) in Main Street and rumours were circulating it was now considering selling part or all of the Flemington Drive campus and moving some courses elsewhere.
"This is going to be a loss for Scone," Ms Bennett said. "This seems to follow a pattern, when they open up a CLC in a town that already has an existing TAFE college, they end up closing and or selling the TAFE college.
"They're bussing in teachers, they're bringing TAFE on a trailer to these CLCs, it's not a true TAFE campus. If they want a presence in a town they should be building a TAFE campus, especially in this climate. They should be building more TAFE campuses, not closing them. For the people of Scone, they deserve better than having a TAFE college closed off."
Ms Bennett said the federation supported the idea of CLCs if they were co-located on a campus "because it can augment the learning happening on the campus". "They're then co-located with all that wrap around support, in terms of counselling, disability support, the library and the cafeteria."
A spokesman for TAFE NSW said it was "committed to delivering high quality training in Scone and across the Upper Hunter". "TAFE NSW is considering options for continuing the training which is currently available at 2 Flemington Drive," the spokesman said.
"The site has been underutilised for some time and only limited training is currently delivered. Since its opening in July 2019, the new multi-million dollar Connected Learning Centre has added value to the local training options by offering a wide range of new courses not previously available in Scone.
"TAFE NSW is in the process of consulting with staff, their representatives and industry as to how to best meet community and industry needs into the future."
Ms Bennett said the campus was one of only two places in the state where students could study to become a farrier "and you can't do that at a Connected Learning Centre".
"This is the horse capital of NSW," she said. "People come from not just the Hunter but all over the state to do that course. These students would be staying and eating and using accommodation, stimulating the businesses within Scone."
The campus is located next to the racecourse and the Equine Research Centre. Part of it is already leased to Hunter Local Land Services.
The TAFE NSW spokesman said earlier this year the organisation was in discussions with Schools Infrastructure "about formalising ongoing access" for Singleton High School "to a portion of TAFE NSW Singleton".
He said the organisation had a long standing relationship with the school, including through a previous leasing agreement to access some space on the campus. He said some of the campus' older facilities were being utilised less as students used the Singleton CLC.