Almost 160 students in the region have unknowingly signed up to receive education or training from a shonky provider in the past 18 months, with Tamworth among the top ten regional postcodes for dodgy VET providers.

The figures were revealed in documents obtained by the state opposition under a freedom of information request.

See the full list at the end of the article

The documents showed 46 providers, who had been receiving taxpayer subsidies, have been suspended or terminated for reasons ranging from using unqualified teachers, using incorrect training tools and insolvency.

Labor’s Tamworth spokesman Daniel Mookhey said his party had put forward a policy for a dedicated investigation unit to weed out dodgy providers, but it was voted down by the Coalition.

“If our policy applied today, every job seeker in Tamworth would have much better access to skills training that would boost their employability,” Mr Mookhey said.

“Every young person starting their career deserves to know that their state government is on their side, but this government continues to back a private training market riddled with fraud and abuse.” 

However, a spokeswoman for Deputy Premier John Barilaro, Minister for Skills, said not one student was “left in the lurch” if a training provider had been terminated or suspended.

“If a Smart and Skilled provider is terminated, the NSW Department of Industry works to ensure a transition to another training provider is seamless and does not disadvantage learners or employers in any way,” the spokeswoman said.