Under the Veterans Skills Program those eligible will get access to free TAFE courses and learning to improve their employment opportunities.

The training includes 750 fee free courses, and will be offered through more than 450 Registered Training Organisations including NSW TAFE.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the program was part of the government's veterans strategy to support more than 200,000 former Australian Defence Force personnel across the state.

Skills and Tertiary Education Minister Geoff Lee said the courses would help the 1200 service men and women who leave the defence force in NSW each year.

One of the biggest challenges is how to transition from the defence forces into civilian life, "particularly focusing on places like Nowra, Wagga, Hunter and ..Sydney", he said on Monday.

James Rea retired from the RAAF in 2014 and told reporters it was often a tough transition.

"It's not always easy to transition the skills that you acquire through service ... into often a quite narrow stream within civilian life ... and so what's being rolled out ... is a fantastic opportunity," he said.

Skills NSW was working with employers, industry and veterans groups to provide targeted training to help veterans into jobs.

Australian Associated Press