Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek visited Coodanup College on Tuesday to meet students and inspect the Mandurah Regional Trade Training Centre, which is under construction.
Ms Plibersek said the trade training centre was one of the last to be built with funding committed by Labor when in government.
“Tony Abbott cut $2 billion from trade training centres and apprenticeships just as the mining boom is waning and youth training is exactly what we need,” she said.
“We’ll need more tradespeople if we want a strong economy and we need to think about kids in trades.
“The good thing about trade training centres is that you get state of the art tools and machinery, just like you get in the workforce”.
Although conceding Labor had not released any plans for funding new trade training centres, Ms Plibersek said she expected an announcement before the next federal election due in 2016.
“We’ll certainly do better than the $2 billion of cuts by this government,” she said.
Labor’s Canning candidate Matt Keogh said that cuts in to education would bite in the community.
“We’ve had $200 million in federal education cuts in the Canning area,” he said.
“Tony Abbott has demonstrated yet again his priorities are just wrong for Mandurah and Armadale.”
The Canning byelection will be held on September 19.
