This week is National Skills Week, highlighting a “critical” issue with the Australian workforce.

Now in its ninth year, the week is designed to promote vocational education and the need for apprentices and trainees.

Alan Jones has long been an advocate for TAFE and apprenticeships, saying Australians have become “jobs snobs”.

Skills Week Director Brian Wexham tells Alan we’ve got to do something to promote vocational education.

“Guys or girls that go to university, many of them don’t go there with any aspiration in terms of what they’re going to do for a job when they get out of it.”

Alan says the problem is clear but questions what the solution is.

“This is critical… Vocational education and training is seen as the poor cousin of a university education. How do we arrest that?” asks Alan.

Mr Wexham believes he has the answer, suggesting a plan to fix the issue.

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview