Leeton TAFE staff took part in protected strike action to highlight several 'urgent' issues

The Leeton campus is now only home to a handful of permanent teachers, who say the training crisis is growing by the day.

Teaching staff walked off the job under the protected strike action, joined by NSW Teachers Federation country organiser for the Riverina Jack O'Brien.

Union representative Kerrie Ross took part in the industrial action saying the time had come for staff to stand up and have their voices heard.

"What we are left with here in Leeton is less than five, full-time equivalent staff," she said.

"The levels 10 or 15 years ago were certainly much, much higher.

"It continues to bleed staff and, of course, with that comes students. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are typically the busiest days for TAFE and all you have to do is look at the carpark now.

"We need our staffing levels to go back up so we can provide these critical training opportunities here in Leeton.

"It's a big industrial town ... we need to be able to train our own. Once a TAFE loses the ability to train local people, the whole town suffers."

The Leeton union members said they were also highlighting the training crisis on behalf of other small and regional campus such as theirs.

The strike was part of the Teachers Federation's ongoing protected industrial action in support of a new agreement for TAFE teachers, which the union said would go some way to secure pay increases, more full- time positions and, in the case of towns like Leeton, reinvigorate near empty campuses which have, for at least the last decade, bled staff and courses.

"Leeton, the home of internationally known brands like SunRice, used to produce world class tradespeople in the fields of metal fabrication and welding but now, they're gone," Federation organiser, Jack O'Brien said.

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"We're left with a quiet campus at a time when governments of all persuasions are lamenting Australia's skills shortages and the federal government is prepared to throw money at the problem.

"The electrotechnology (electrical) teaching section has been producing top shelf tradies at Leeton for 31 years, but federation members in the section are worried about the future, particularly as current electrical teachers retire.

"The wages for TAFE teachers have not even kept pace with those of teachers in the school system.

"Tradies with the experience needed to teach are not going to quit their jobs or leave their own lucrative business to join TAFE."

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