The federal opposition pledged more free TAFE courses in high-demand trades if elected to ease a "skills crisis".
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Deputy opposition leader and shadow skills minister Richard Marles said the $621 million initiative, over four years, would support state governments to expand free TAFE offerings to more trades.
Touring Ballarat's Federation TAFE, he said industries were "desperate" for skilled workers, particularly since international borders were closed.
"We're seeing, across the country, 70,000 less trainees in the system today than there were in 2013 - here in Ballarat, there's a 15 per cent drop in the number of trainees and apprentices compared to 2013," he said.
"In that time, we've seen a growth in population, a growth in the economy, and yet the number of trainees and apprentices has been going backwards.
"Doing a trade should not be seen as a second option, it's not plan B, getting a trade is a fantastic option and we need to be encouraging our kids at school to take that path."
He stated the exact trades that would be free would be determined in consultation with the states.
Federation TAFE chief executive Liam Sloan said cost remained a barrier for many potential students, with some courses about $5000 without eligibility for subsidies or scholarships.
Since the Victorian government announced its own free TAFE program for in-demand courses like childcare and mental health, he added, enrolments had been boosted.
"It's about creating that aspiration, and making sure our communities are aware of the job outcomes - sometimes I think the lack of interest from a student is because they don't really understand that this can lead to a leadership and management career within plumbing or trades, further down the line when your body's almost knackered," he said.
"It's about creating that understanding in our schools and communities that it's a real pathway to success."
The state government has already committed to making a TAFE teacher's course free, Mr Sloan said, which could prevent bottlenecks if more students enrol.
"Previously the cost of that was a barrier - typically, (potential teachers) were working, they were in employment, and thinking 'do I really want to spend X grand on this?'," he said.
"I think there's a piece of work to be done about what's sexy about being a teacher in TAFE - why should you be considering that?
"People don't understand the rewards and benefits and passion and excitement that you can get from being a TAFE teacher."
The federal government allocated $1 billion across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 budgets to "support more free or low-free" training courses, matched by the states, through its JobTrainer program.
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