Mr Kubbinga, who provides support to teachers in the civil engineering, surveying and mapping section at the Wollongong campus, said he and his colleagues were anxious about their jobs after news that 800 TAFE NSW jobs would be cut over four years.

"There has already been a restructure of classroom support and a lot of temporary support workers have had their hours cut dramatically," he said.

"We were aware that there were more cuts on the way - but nothing of this magnitude. I feel quite betrayed due to the basis on which these cuts have been decided - it's more about budget pressures than educational needs."

Mr Kubbinga, speaking as a Public Service Association of NSW member, said the quality of education would be diluted as a result of the job cuts.

"This is the worst attack on staff - and the entire state education system - that I've seen in my 22 years of service. All the support staff are anxious - we're not sure what this week's announcement will mean for our positions."

TAFE Illawarra management said in a statement there was "no target for TAFE Illawarra" job losses.

"TAFE Illawarra is reviewing all of its services to find the best way to achieve budget efficiencies and ensure that we continue to provide training places in areas of highest employment growth and skill need.

"Changes to staffing requirements will be determined following reviews of our business operations and program offerings."

However Public Service Association senior industrial officer Andrew Holland said quality public vocational education in the Illawarra faced a bleak future if the cuts went ahead.