Labor’s flagship free TAFE initiative is plagued with staff shortages and ballooning class sizes, according to students and teachers.

More than 19,000 students have flocked to free TAFE courses since the initiative was launched at the start of the year in a bid to boost enrolments and meet skills shortages.

But the influx of students has put pressure on TAFEs still reeling from the former Coalition state government's cuts to the sector.

Students say teachers are absent and class sizes have ballooned under Labor's free TAFE initiative. Credit:Mario Borg

Andrew Cowper signed up for a free diploma of community services at Melbourne Polytechnic earlier this year and said his classes were regularly cancelled at the last minute.