<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/11/australian-students-struggling-to-put-food-on-the-table-in-unpaid-training-but-this-could-be-a-thing-of-the-past>
"By the time Marni Tavener graduates, she will have spent 1,200 hours working
for Queensland’s hospitals – but without a dollar to show for it.
The 29-year-old must undertake multiple full-time, on-call training placements
to get her nursing and midwifery degree.
“At the drop of a hat, we have to go into the hospital,” she says. “If one of
your women that you’re following through [pregnancy] calls you, then you go.”
The constant, uncertain hours would not be a problem if Tavener was being paid.
But placements are always unpaid, and she has had to cut back on her paid work
as a nanny to fit them in.
That means less food on the table.
“I have to pick and choose between being able to afford fruit and vegetables,”
she says. “I can live Centrelink payment to Centrelink payment – just.”
Tavener is one of thousands of students around Australia who has to sacrifice
their studies, income and health to take on compulsory placements.
A proposal in the federal government’s Universities Accord report to pay
students on placement is welcome news to aspiring nurses, teachers and social
workers, who are all required to complete hundreds of hours of intense
workplace training to get their degree.
“Providing financial support for placements is essential to ensure that enough
students can meet their … requirements without falling into poverty,” the
report said.
“Mandatory placements can involve onerous hours and can financially
disadvantage students who are unable to participate in paid work.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
