ALP State Conference: Leader of the Victorian state ALP Daniel Andrews adressess delegates in the Celebrity room at Moonee Valley Racecourse Saturday 19 May 2012 Picture by Craig Abraham 
The Age

Daniel Andrews. Photo: Craig Abraham

TAFEs would be funded to provide services such as disability aides, counsellors and child care to ensure disadvantaged people had access to training under a Victorian Labor government.

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews will today announce Labor's skills plan ahead of the state election in 2014.

The centrepiece of the jobs plan will be a pledge to make additional funding for TAFEs the first priority of a Labor government after it put aside a minimum surplus of $100 million.

The Baillieu government has cut an estimated $300 million a year from the TAFE system, although it says it is investing an extra $4 billion over four years in apprenticeships and areas of skills shortage.

Under the cuts, TAFEs were told they were no longer funded to fulfil their community service obligation to provide services such as disability support, child care and libraries.

But the Opposition will today announce a Labor government would reinstate funding for this community service obligation on TAFEs to ensure the most disadvantaged people had access to training.

The Age understands Labor will not commit to a dollar figure two years out from an election.

However it will say its decision to make additional funding for TAFEs its first priority for any budget surplus above $100 million reflects the importance Labor attaches to TAFEs.

Mr Andrews will also promise that any worker made redundant would have an automatic right to government-subsidised training, regardless of their prior qualifications.

TAFEs would establish one-stop-shop industry skills centres, which would provide employers, apprentices and trainees with a single point of contact.

Ballarat University has already proposed to join with six other TAFE institutes to continue offering courses that are facing closure following funding cuts.


Labor will commit to supporting the vocational education and training in schools program, which provides a link between schools and the workforce.

A skills commissioner would be appointed to determine future skill shortage areas.

''I'm determined to make sure young Victorians get the skills they need for the jobs they want - this commitment achieves that,'' Mr Andrews said.