Shorten unveils apprenticeship plan

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will unveil a $62 million plan to help Australians struggling to find work.

Mr Shorten will announce his Apprentice Ready program, expected to create 10,000 new positions, in Perth on Tuesday.

It'll offer a 20-week pre-apprenticeship course for trades on the national skills needs list and will be targeted at youth unemployed for more than six months.

Employers will be paid $1000 for hiring apprentices from the program.

Mr Shorten is also to announce a pilot for a new program with 5000 places to help mature-aged workers turn work experience into qualifications.

It aims to have mature-aged apprentices complete their training within 18 months to get jobs in industries with skills shortages.

"Labor won't let Australians fall behind because there is a gap between the skills they have and the ones employers are looking for," Mr Shorten said.

"Our plans will stop the rapid fall in Australians taking up a trade."

Labor will set a target for one in 10 jobs on priority infrastructure projects to be filled by apprentices.

It will conduct a review of the vocational education and training system and has pledged to rid the sector of dodgy operators.