Illawarra TAFE Bega campus teacher Lies Paijmans said the recent increases in costs of some TAFE courses are prohibitive. 

"Some courses are 400 per cent more expensive this year than last year, partly because previous qualifications disqualify you from concessions and fee assistance," she said.  

"This has led to a significant decrease in student numbers in many of our courses."

These courses included the Diploma of Community Services and Certificate III in Aged Care. 

Ms Paijmans said the Diploma of Community Services, for example, increased from about $1200 last year to $5800 this year. 

While previous qualifications now no longer disqualify students from being eligible for Smart and Skilled concessions, Ms Paijmans said the concessions are still very restrictive.​

Another issue was how TAFE teachers are increasingly being told to use online learning for their students, Ms Paijmans said.

However, she said many TAFE courses are practical skills-based, so are not suited to online learning and many TAFE students are only able to learn effectively through face-to-face learning and support.

She was one of around 30 people gathered at Bega TAFE campus on Monday, October 12, to raise awareness of the recent cuts to TAFE services made under the NSW government's Smart and Skilled reforms. 

The Hands off TAFE snap action day was part of a coordinated protest across NSW by The Greens. 

Rally organiser and Bega Valley Greens member Tamara Ryan said across the state more than 2600 teaching and support staff jobs have been lost since 2011 and there are tens of thousands fewer students.

“Under the NSW government’s Smart and Skilled market more than $750million will be stripped from TAFE's secure budget and put into a market where the public system has to compete against low-cost, low-quality, profit-driven private providers," she said. 

At Monday's rally it was clear TAFE meant a lot to those gathered outside the Bega campus. 

"As a 50 year old I did a TAFE course which led to me getting a wonderful job and continues to provide all sorts of new opportunities," Kerrin Sheard of Bega said. 

"The cuts to TAFE mean young people have to travel much further distances on highways to get to their courses, up to 300kilometres sometimes," Bega Valley Greens member Jamie Shaw said. 

Mr Shaw said next election one of The Greens’ policies will be bringing back a fully-funded TAFE. 

Ms Ryan said to get involved in the Hands off TAFE protest, click here.