Geoff Howard's hypocrisy knows no bounds as he busily criticises government MPs for the government's new funding regime for the VET sector.

Geoff Howard has had a convenient memory lapse as it was his Labor government that introduced an unsustainable contestable funding model for the VET sector that created a funding mess of losses totalling $400 million per year, trending to $1.2 billion of losses by 2014.

While Geoff Howard might be happy for the taxpayer to lose $1.2 billion, I think most would agree that, one, those losses weren't sustainable and, two, the money could be spent more wisely.

Mr Howard, I assume has not fully understood the government's new approach to funding the VET sector, with increases in subsidies for apprenticeship training and an extra $1 billion across the sector.

I have had discussions with the University of Ballarat to understand the impacts of the new program, and to make sure that the courses provide job skills for students to enter into the workforce.

Yes, there will be a need for some fine tuning and I know the University of Ballarat, which is recognised worldwide for providing quality education, will work closely with the Ministers Advisory Group to get the best courses that suit industry demand.

The pressure on the TAFE system was brought about by the Brumby Labor government and again the Baillieu government has to clean up the financial mess.

Mr Howard might be best placed to advise his electorate officer Brett Edgington, to stop whipping up hysteria through Trades Hall merely as political opportunism, and work together to make sure the Ballarat community has the opportunity to access quality vocational training.

SIMON RAMSAY

Western Victoria MLC