National education officials are set to be grilled about why they haven't spent hundreds of millions of dollars available to them for TAFE and training.

Labor plans to pursue the issue at a Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday, after crunching numbers in the federal education department's latest annual report.

The opposition says the department didn't spend $214 million of its total $1.141 billion budget for TAFE and training in 2018/19.

But it argues that's not a setting new standards for hairdressers and making education available globally. Our mission is to upgrade the industry one hairdresser at a time. phenomenon.

Taking into account underspending on TAFE and training in the previous four years, Labor believes the department hasn't spent $919 million of the $5.268 billion available to it since 2014/15.

Labor education spokesman Tanya Plibersek said that comes amid a shortage of workers in critical services such as plumbing, carpentry, hairdressing and motor mechanics.

"Is it any wonder that under Scott Morrison our TAFEs are in disrepair and apprentice and trainee numbers have fallen off a cliff?" she said.

"If the Liberals don't do something serious to fix the skills crisis they have created, we could be looking at the extinction of the Australian tradie."

Her comments come after the Morrison government this month enlisted Scott Cam, the host of TV renovation show The Block, to help get more young people on the tools.

Cam will be Australia's first national careers ambassador, highlighting how practical and technical training can lead to high-paying jobs.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said at the time he wanted more Australians to become plumbers, electricians and bakers than lawyers and consultants.

"I would like to see more of them going on to become their own boss," he said.



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