Prahran TAFE Reviews

Started at Melbourne Polytechnic within the track riding course. In my time studying at this tafe, I have been let down countless times.

At the beginning of the year on the open day, students without cars were promised to be provided with a bus service from the Epping campus to the farm where our practicals were supposed to be held. Upon commencing the course we were expected to carpool with students we hardly knew. What if anything happened to the students? Car crash? What happens then?

There was also a time where I actually wasn t able to get a ride to the farm and as a result, had no choice but to go home even though I had to plan my life to ensure I d have adequate availability so that I was able to complete this course to a satisfactory standard.

When I did actually make it to the farm, we were told that there were no staff or student toilets on the campus which quite frankly, I find utterly appalling as this is a basic, foundational human right and lack of caused us students and teachers embarrassment ad we weren t provided the facilities to care for our own human health needs.

There were also no taps to refill our water bottles and one of the students had to bring a jug of water for the class to refill their bottles on a hot day as there was no thought or consideration to the student s needs at all.

We had a particular instance in which our teacher was only notified an hour before she was supposed to take our class and as a result (because she had to do photo copying) we had to wait another hour on top because of this utter disorganisation.

Because we have missed time up at the farm due to the fire restrictions, students have also been expected to take up Monday classes even though the set schedule we all agreed upon was Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday classes, now students have to give up more work availability and other commitments just to make ends meet with this highly disorganised tafe.

After years of being a stablehand wanting to pursue a career in racing as a trackrider, I m utterly disappointed with the quality of education I have been provided with And I m even more disgusted in the fact that this tafe will be qualifying students to work with such dangerous animals when we ve hardly even touched the horses whilst being at the tafe (and for some of the students, who have never even touched horses at all.) that in my opinion is utter negligence because in the racing industry it is paramount that you understand horse body language and safe horse handling methods in which can only be learnt by doing it in a controlled environment.

I don t understand how they can make up the time for doing all the practicals we ve lost in such a short timeframe in order to safely qualify those students to handle horse safely and effectively.

The racing game is fast-paced and you need to know what you re doing and have your wits about you, Because trainers just do not have the time to be training people how to handle horses and teach them the ropes. They will simply expect that these students know what they re doing. I really hope that these students, others and the horses don t end up seriously injured because with that lack of proper training, that s what I see as a result of all of this.

I hope to receive my money back as this course has been a complete waste of both my time and money and I hope that serious investigations can commence so that this course can provide what it promises and so that students like myself don t end up as appalled as I am.

Don t waste your time until this course resolved all of this awful problems

This campus offres students to Study in Theatrical Arts Tech

another nice campus, maybe not as nice as fairfield but the teachers are so great, and the saff too

world's worst college ever is a good title, doesn't get to much knowledge from this campus, and the art class doesn't teach art, it was only teach you how to buy a professional one, not teach you to develop or creating art, very dissapointed with the exhibition class, NOT RECOMMENDED !!!

They currently don't have a very effective student complaint handling system. Complaints handled by faculty, Student Services and Student Experience departments are often one-sided, advantageous to staff, and women.
Complaints made against a staff member won't be taken very seriously as staff would simply be defended by the management hierarchy. Complaints made by female students are often given better priority-- males accused of wrong doing won't be treated fairlyy, as the females making allegations are believed better.

A feminist college. Though Melbourne Polytechnic opens its doors to all genders, there seems to be preference for female leadership. Apart from the fact that females are given better preference in resolving a complaint they are also awarded and some are asked to teach at the college! These individuals are usually featured in the student newsletter, brochures, and on the website. I have never encountered a male student being featured for excellence, being awarded or asked to teach. It has been traditionally like this since Melbourne Polytechnic was known as NMIT. Its better off being funded as a women's college than as a co-educational college as presenting itself as a co-educational college is nothing but a sham.

There have been 4 CEOs in the last 3 years which shows a great deal of instability. Constantly changing CEOs is always a bad sign. Either the CEO doesn't know how to solve an issue because there aren't good or any procedures that work, doesn't care, or simply doesn't want to fix problems. Leadership attitudes often send messages to lower level management and faculty in how subordinates and students would be treated-- not all subordinates and students would be taken seriously but they would also be treated with disrespect. The government shouldn't be funding colleges that do not take student concerns seriously.

They changed their corporate image and website design but kept existing negligent and disrespectful staff who have been creating problems for students. Some of these employees have been there for more than 20 years.

Teaching standards aren't very consistent-- there are great teachers but there are also horrible teachers in the same program. Program managers/leads won't put a new teacher on to replace a bad teacher but keep the bad teacher on the teaching roster to the detriment of future students. They hire industry professionals to teach simply because they are industry professionals regardless whether they are excellent teachers. Areas of serious teaching and program management concerns are Creative Arts Department: ie. Visual Arts, Graphic Arts, Photography, Live Production-- programs that do not have patience with their students.
Students from these courses have been known to complain and tell others about their very bad experiences that are still unresolved.

A , "Them versus us", attitude towards students. The college faculty and management appears to be believing in a brother in arms reality and living in a war against the student body, who are relentlessly attacking them with issues and complaints. The faculty and management view students who bring up issues and make valid complaints as "the enemy" which must be eradicated immediately, by applying adverse disciplinary action. An example of this is deliberately making false assumptions on a targetted student for an excuse to impose a ban on the student from speaking to staff and other students, entering all campuses and to continuing studies. Faculty allegations will simply be backed up by management, Student Services and Student Experience departments.

Lastly, they do not have staff disciplinary procedures but only student disciplinary procedures-- meaning, they do not discipline misbehaving staff but only students for alleged misconduct.

I've noticed quite a few bad reviews posted here. I'm not surprised at them. In fact I believe all of them.

I seriously wouldn't recommend enrolling in any program. I wouldn't change my post until they resolve my issue. The government should close this college down.

All government TAFES should have the latest surveillance cameras installed in all lecture rooms, indoor corridors, and outside buildings as well as live video recording at all times.

The Melbourne Polytechnic Prahran is not only a place of learning, but, a host to other events as well. The staff are good, friendly and helpful. The students are happy go lucky with a care free attitude, but still have learning on their minds. It has been said that the contractors love going to Prahran due to it's relaxed feel of the campus.

I found this a good Tafe to learn at. The teachers very helpful and caring. I found some of the students cliquey and very competitive and bullies at times. People are much too old to be behaving like that as supposed fully grown adults. I would have given it five stars if the students didn't treat other people badly just to cover up their insecurities. It's a good college otherwise nice and close to the amenities and public transport. I think teachers weren't strict enough because they allowed other students to treat each other badly just because of their insecurities and think that they should have to step on other people just to go and find success.

The photo posted here is Prahran High School,beside the Melbourne Polytechnic.Google should update this as Prahran High School.Melbourne Polytechnic is in the next street.

This has to be possibly one of the most unreliable learning institutions I have ever been to

Lets start with teachers

Composition (Cluster) teacher, does not want to actually teach you rather just talk at you, forget about asking questions, he dismisses you then says you're getting off topic
What is unusual, he pressured me in class to ask him a q, 45 mins later we still did not have an answer, in 10 seconds off Google I knew the answer
I withdrew from his class and got a full refund, this teacher is not interested in passing you, I made many attempts in asking what homework was required and he just simply changed the subject

On 2 different occasions he also addressed me about how I had a small attention span and what was I going to do to fix this
Fact of the matter was, his teaching methods were appalling and I was not the only he spoke to like this

I was a perfect candidate for his class, owning 7 synths, somehow I became his worst student?

Program Leader Sound Production was informed of his behavior and did nothing either

Record (Cluster) teacher,he speaks to students like they have no ability to understand how to communicate, he was the reason I actually quit the course in 2nd term, I was asked back with conditions?
He once again is not interested in what you learn, he talks at you, not with you. At one stage he said to me "it's always questions with you", well since I am an eager student, I thought this was what we were supposed to do?
I asked numerous times how we were going to roster the main console, his reply, "it's not my job to manage you guys"
So come end of year assignment, I could not complete what was needed based on another favored student doing non class work on the console
I am indebted to your assistance, as I was when you would barely spend 10 mins a class with me, and you wondered why I would leave early?
I seriously hope you change your tact in the way you speak to people and also your teaching methods

Perform (Cluster) teacher, don't even know what we did in his classes, so random: I have put in a formal complaint against this teacher based on how subjects were delivered. To this day I still do not know what we were doing in class, also classes were changed mid year and I had asked Program Leader Sound Production to formally explain to me my work loads, this was never addressed
This teacher was of the one that would always quote "you snooze you lose", quite ironic based on he was always late for our classes, never communicated when he was away who was taking us, further more when asked a question he was reply "Use Dr Google"
I am questioning the delivery of his classes as I have handed in no assignments/ work yet I have managed to have a pass?

EDIT I will add one of the most important facets of his class, we were asked to do a live performance, never once was this actually set in cement to how we were doing this, insurance cost for equipment etc. All questions I had brought up in late 2nd term, I was keen and ready and was more than capable of doing a live performance.
I never continued class with him in 4th Term, it was a write off for me, he was just not interested in any work we were doing, always being left alone to do what? he was on more than 1 occasion having 2/ 1/2 lunch breaks, leaving us doing nothing
No one in my class did a live performance either, it explains a lot

I wasted a year of my time only to be dismissed by the faculty when asking for assistance

Program Leader Sound Production's last call to me for some reason, when I had asked 3 months earlier to address something, 30 minutes of excuses and apologies, asking me if I was going to continue with studies, when I said I was going elsewhere this is what he had said "Do you mind telling me where you are going?", I said I'd rather keep that private to which he replied "actually don't worry, I know everyone, it's a small world I will find out"

Far from professional and none of his business

I am still awaiting the outcome of my complaint, for me to have made one, it's simply not good enough on behalf of Polytechnic