UON Students share “Heartbreaking” unpaid placement stories, Govt signals help on the way
Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon has signalled potential relief for students in this month’s budget. As Peter Hyslop writes, a panel has relayed stories of students struggling to make ends meet.
Students say they’re going without food, suffering mental health impacts and getting exhausted, as unpaid placements become an ever-growing problem for the Federal Government and University leadership.
The UON Education Society says it has collected 598 “passionate responses” to a survey asking students about their placement experience, many of which were negative.
These stories were relayed in a panel event jointly organised by Newcastle Labor Students, the UON Education Society and the Students Against Placement Poverty Newcastle Branch, with attendees from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association.
One student described how the cost of living put on added pressure.
“I found generally it was hard and it was detrimental to my mental health and it greatly impacted my relationship as the pressure fell on my partner to support us,” the student said.
“I was constantly anxious about money and because of the lack of income I had to make the choice most days not to eat and was therefore working in a school full time on an empty stomach because I couldn’t afford to eat,” they said.
Students described “crying” to family members and fellow students. Some are being made temporarily homeless. Others are working overnight and are forced to accept casual shifts the next day.
President of the UON Education Society Lucinda Bailey says the stories made for difficult reading.
“It was a very sad 4 hours of me staring at terrible story after terrible story,” she said.
“Unfortunately I could only pick six, one of which [that] got shared with me personally.
“There was so many more in there that I had highlighted that I could have shared,” she said.
From left: President of Newcastle Labour Students Matthew Jeffrey, Organiser Liam McGillion and UON Education Society President Lucinda Bailey
President of Newcastle Labour Students Matthew Jeffrey says the best way to address Australia’s skill shortage is reinstating free tuition.
“In my personal view there won’t be the attainment of 80% tertiary qualified students unless the [Federal] Government embarks upon a longer-term project of making education free again,” he said.
“Most of the current parliamentarians benefited from the Whitlam Government’s introduction of free university, and now they deny it to the next generation,” he said.
“Problematic” accreditation models
The panel was told many degrees require hundreds, and in some cases up to one thousand hours of mandatory unpaid placement.
Jody Pool from Students Against Placement Poverty Newcastle Branch told the panel some programs are in need of a full restructure.
“We do not have the economic means required to complete our degrees without paid employment,” she said.
“Some placements are just a tick-a-box placements.
“You cannot justify unpaid placements … where you are staring at a computer screen,” she said.
From left: President of Newcastle Labour Students Matthew Jeffery, Jody Pool from Students Against Placement Poverty Newcastle Branch, Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon, Organiser Liam McGillion, Rita Martin and Rachel Hughes from NSWNMA and President of UON Education Society Lucinda Bailey
“Notable absence” of University executive
Panel organiser Liam McGillion told Yak he wants to see University leadership listen to students’ concerns.
“There was a notable absence of University executive in this panel … [but] the School of Education was very supportive of the UON Education Society’s attendance,” he said.
“I think the University should take the opportunity to reflect on their long-term plan and question what qualifications are so strictly necessary to have that practical experience, and ones that don’t need so much if any,” he said.
“Specific news” flagged in Federal Budget
Federal Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon says she hears the concerns of students, telling Yak there could be more to come.
“It was a very powerful testament to why we need to address this issue of placement poverty,” she said.
“It doesn’t go unnoticed by me that these are highly feminised workplaces. Women have long been in the lowest paid rungs of work in Australia, but it’s time to change that.
“I think that people who care about placement poverty, who care about … some of the financial obstacles that are either hurting or preventing students from undertaking degree programs will want to tune into this year’s budget,” she said.
Claydon accepted a joint Statement of Policy from organisers.
[…] that paid placements will be offered to most students. It seems a step in the right direction for campaigners who advocated for them last month. The Commonwealth Prac Payment will provide eligible students studying nursing, midwifery, teaching […]