Newcastle MP, Sharon Claydon is urging the Turnbull Government to 'Save TAFE' ahead of the release of the Federal budget tomorrow.
Ms Claydon says New South Wales TAFE has lost 175,000 students since 2012 due to repeated cuts and neglect by the State and Federal Liberals.
"It's no exaggeration to say that TAFE is in crisis," Ms Claydon said.
Believing Tafe should be central to Australia's training system, Ms Claydon can't understand why there has been a 20% drop in the number of government-funded hours of vocational education and training.
Ms Claydon said these cuts are driving a decline in apprenticeships with the loss of over 140,000 since 2013.
"If we want to compete in the 21st-century knowledge economy we need a strong and responsive skills training system," Ms Claydon said.
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| Hamilton TAFE Campus. Image: Newcastle Herald |
