By Jackie Moon
MELBOURNE — The Victorian Department of Education has introduced a program to train around 100 year 10-12 students completing the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) in the multi-national hamburger chain, McDonald's. David Kemp, the federal education minister, has argued that working in McDonald's will provide students with skills that enhance their employment prospects when they finish school.
Resistance strongly opposes the scheme, arguing that it will do nothing to reduce the high rate of youth unemployment, but will provide McDonald's with a lot of super-cheap labour.
The Certificate of Food Retail, or "McVCE" as it is becoming known, is supposed to train students in food preparation, customer service, hygiene, product quality, merchandising and workplace relations. Students assessed as "satisfactory" will gain a bonus score on their tertiary entrance ranking. During the course, which could take up to two years to complete, the students will be paid $7.61 an hour for their work.
Kemp argues that "senior secondary schools are not just for the 30% going on to university. They're there to provide relevant courses for all young people". Resistance spokesperson Reuben Endean responded: "What he really means is that the government wants young people to accept that higher education is a privilege available only to a minority. Do we go to school just so we can get a job in McDonald's?"
The "McVCE" scheme is part of the many attacks on the public education system by both federal and state governments, and another step along the path of tying school curricula more directly to the needs of business.
The introduction of up-front fees for university places and cuts to Austudy and Abstudy have further restricted access to university degrees. As well, the introduction of the Common Youth Allowance means that under-18's will not be able to get the dole, forcing them to accept low youth wages or live with their family, sometimes in undesirable situations.
Taken together, these attacks will mean that a decent education will become possible only for the rich. If you can't pay up you'll have to go to work in McDonald's.
The federal Labor opposition's education spokesperson Mark Latham suggested favouritism towards McDonald's. But Endean points out that it is not surprising that McDonald's was chosen when it, along with Coca Cola, contribute 60% of the donations received by public schools in NSW. Those donations are a (tax deductible) investment that has now paid off.
"This scheme is just another example of the corporatisation of our schools", said Endean. "Subjects like history and English are dumped for subjects that will 'get us a job'. With McDonald's teaching food retail and tampon companies teaching sex education, how long will it be before BHP teaches environment studies?
"High quality education should be available for all who want it and schemes like McVCE infringe on that. Young people must be given the opportunity to get decent jobs with good wages. They must not be told that the only future they have is under McDonald's golden arches."