Mount View and Kurri High Schools are among five schools in the Hunter electorate that have been denied money to build trade training centres.
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Member for Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon has slammed the federal government’s decision to cut the Trades Training Centre Program, which returned $950 million to the budget.
He said information revealed during a Senate estimates hearing showed Kurri and Mount View, along with Rutherford Technology High School, Hunter Valley Grammar School and Hunter Trade College had been eligible for money to build trade training centres.
Mr. Fitzgibbon said axing the program could not be justified given the youth unemployment rise in the Hunter.
“Young people need skills and work experience to get good jobs, and trade training centres mean high school students get the opportunity to do that,” he said.
“Denying students these opportunities will just make youth unemployment worse, and rob our young people of a fair shot at getting a job.
“How can Tony Abbott expect our young people to get jobs when he is taking away their opportunity to get the skills to be work ready?”
Trade training centres were built at Cessnock High School and St. Philip’s Christian College under the former Labor government.
