Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson pushing for greater local control at TAFE

Apprentices across the region have to travel to access certain courses, New England Visions 2030 Institute convener Maria Hitchcock said.

"Why should our apprentices have to travel hundreds of kilometres to get to a TAFE course?" she said.

"People in Sydney don't have to do that, and it's time that someone stood up and made them accountable.

"Until they have a big TAFE overhaul, the regions are just going to keep missing out."

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Ms Hitchcock said think tank members were told by a TAFE representative there was a possibility of introducing a new certificate to the Armidale campus.

A submission was sent to the organisation which included support letters from council and community groups.

TAFE's response made it "obvious that they had not read our submission", she said.

TAFE did not respond to the Leader's requests for clarity.

Local businesses expressed frustration with the disconnect between classes offered and the needs of the business community to Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson.

Community were also concerned with the lack of local control and local decision-making processes, he said.

Local decision making was centralised when TAFE was restructured under his government, Mr Anderson said, to provide better services.

The whole of the Northwest was streamlined under the control of Dubbo, he said.

"At that time, it probably made sense to do that," he said.

"But in local areas, that didn't work.

"What we've found over time is that local decision making has been eroded.

"It's time to bring that decision making back to Tamworth."

A director based in Tamworth in charge of the New England would best serve the region, he said.

TAFE was decimated by the former Liberal and National government, minister for TAFE Tim Crakanthorp, who met with Mr Anderson, said.

"It is clear that there is a huge amount of work to do to rebuild TAFE," he said.

A review of the entire vocational and education system is the first step, Mr Crakanthorp said, and a focus on aligning study options to current and future needs.

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