Assistant Skills Minister and Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announced TAFE NSW would hire more than 200 teachers, who would be spread across the state.

“[That] includes approximately 30 teaching positions spread across the New England region and North West of NSW,” he said.

However, Shadow Skills Minister Prue Car said the 200 teaching jobs the government was putting back into TAFE, was a “drop in the ocean”.

Ms Car said since 2012, the Liberals had cut 5200 teaching and support roles, which meant only four per cent of those roles were being restored.

Re-hiring staff the government had sacked less than four years ago was a “false economy” and “smacks of policy on the run”, Ms Car said.

“Replacing just four per cent of the jobs that they cut state-wide is an acknowledgement by this government that it has made a terrible mistake,” Ms Car said.

“This is a startling admission that this government’s cuts to TAFE were too deep and wide, and have hurt TAFE and the students who rely on it to get a qualification.

“This is a drop in the ocean. A few teaching jobs is not going to repair the damage that this government has wreaked on TAFE with staff cuts, campus closures and fee hikes.”

Mr Marshall said because enrolments had increased, so had the demand for front-line educators.

“TAFE NSW enrolments have skyrocketed, with enrolments 122,000 higher in October 2016, compared to the same time in 2015,” Mr Marshall said.

“The recruitment drive is a clear sign that the demand for skills-based TAFE courses is continuing.”

Mr Marshall said the new One TAFE model, which consolidates 10 separate TAFE institutes into one, would ensure more taxpayer dollars were directed into frontline learning.

The decision to hire more teachers follows Mr Marshall’s announcement in November, when Armidale was named as the new headquarters for TAFE NSW's Digital Education hub. It is expected to bring up to 40 new jobs and will develop the digital content of TAFE NSW.