Labor pledges $42.7 million for manufacturing training facilities in push to onshore transport projects

The NSW Labor opposition has pledged to invest $42.7 million in three training facilities, the first of them in the Illawarra, as part of its TAFE Domestic Manufacturing Centres of Excellence program.

In an announcement on the campaign trail on Monday, the opposition said the new facility would be able to “train, re-train and upskill” a minimum of 300 local apprentices and workers, help address skills shortages and strengthen manufacturing.

“I want to build trains, buses ferries right here. But it’s going to take a government with the political will to do – and I am determined to,” said opposition leader Chris Minns in a statement.”

“The Illawarra has missed out on the skills, the jobs and the work because of this government’s obsession with offshoring transport projects.”

Labor says it would begin procurement of a replacement for the Tangara (pictured) fleet of trains as a first-term priority, which would create “1000 good, long-term jobs during the design and build phase” and further jobs in maintenance.

“The Tangaras will be the beginning of a long-term pipeline of manufacturing work and form the basis for the return of a sustainable rail manufacturing industry in New South Wales which will continue after the replacement of the Tangara fleet,” said the opposition.

Picture: credit Maksym Kozlenko/Wikimedia Commons