Learn to be a tradie for FREE: Labor's plan for 600,000 workers to be given training free of charge - and it could set you up for a six-figure salary
- Plumbing, electrical trades and childcare included in the 10-year plan
- Plan sets up tradespeople to gain necessary skills without having to pay fees
- NSW Labor leader accused the Government of 'deliberately killing TAFE'
Labor has unveiled a plan to provide free training for more than half a million tradies.
More than 600,000 students will save thousands of dollars under a New South Wales Labor scheme to address skill shortages with free TAFE courses.
Plumbing, electrical trades, disability, aged care and childcare will be among the courses initially covered by the 10-year plan, which Labor says will be modified each year to plug gaps.
Labor has unveiled a plan to provide free training for more than half-a-million tradies. Pictured: Labor's TAFE and skills spokeswoman Prue Car
The plan would allow tradespeople to gain the necessary skills and knowledge before embarking on their careers - without having to pay fees (stock image)
The plan allows tradespeople to gain the necessary skills and knowledge before embarking on careers that could earn them lucrative salaries - all without having to pay fees.
'This government is deliberately killing TAFE and we need to rescue it,' NSW Opposition leader Michael Daley said.
'Free TAFE will not only help teach young people the skills they need but also offer older people who've lost their jobs the opportunity to retrain - and retrain free of charge.'
Students will only be able to access one fee-free course.
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The first four years of the plan have been costed at $65 million by the parliamentary budget office.
But Labor can't say how many places that money will cover.
'The 600,000 places will be phased in over time,' Labor's TAFE and skills spokeswoman Prue Car said.
'Everyone who applies to do a course in one of the areas identified will be able to study for free.'
'The 600,000 places will be phased in over time,' Labor's TAFE and skills spokeswoman Prue Car (pictured) said
Private providers will only be able to make up 30 per cent of the total funding pool and will be overseen by a specific investigations unit to examine student complaints.
Labor says the policy will apply from January 2020 and will replace the government's Smart and Skilled subsidy for 100,000 apprenticeships over four years.
Mr Daley said he would sunset the current scheme to ensure those already enrolled aren't out of pocket.
Deputy Liberal Leader Dominic Perrottet said the Berejiklian government was already delivering almost 80,000 fee-free TAFE places each year.
'Labor's announcement ... will fall well short of what we are already providing,' Mr Perrottet said in a statement.
The auditor-general in July 2018 recommended the primary industries department use data better to ensure only high-priority qualifications were covered by the Smart and Skilled scheme.
More than a quarter of Australian tradespeople earn upwards of $100,000 per year.
Research carried out by ServiceSeeking.com.au in November showed electricians, handymen, painters, construction workers or those employed in property maintenance were most likely to earn six figures.
Property maintenance contracting, which involves ensuring all aspects of a building are in top condition by repairing or maintaining fixtures, is the highest-earning trade according to the research with an average salary of $151,250 a year, followed by painting at $140,000 a year.
Ms Car (pictured) said applicants for certain courses at TAFE would be able to study for free under her party's plan
