When Andy Cutt found himself redundant at 53, finding another job in his field was difficult.
Despite having a university degree in renewable energy under his belt, he decided to go back to TAFE as a mature-aged apprentice electrician.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten met Mr Cutt as he unveiled his $62 million plan on Tuesday to help Australians into apprenticeships.
Mr Shorten described him as a "poster child for the future".
"I did a mature age degree and I'll tell you, it's not easy," Mr Shorten said.
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Now employed at Perth business Energy Made Clean, Mr Cutt says being made redundant gave him the opportunity to do the hands-on work he always wanted to do.
It wasn't easy being in a classroom full of 16-year-olds, but he persevered.
He wants the federal government to make it easier for mature-aged apprentices, by giving employers incentives to hire older, more expensive staff and helping them cope on lower apprentice wages.
"There's always resistance to hiring mature-aged workers, there's this expectation that they're less flexible, less adaptable, less able to learn new things," he told AAP.
"Hopefully I'm at least one example to prove that wrong.
"If the government could level the playing field, that would be a very important starting point."
Mr Shorten is pledging to create 10,000 places as part of his Apprentice Ready program, targeted at youth unemployed for more than six months.
He will also pilot a new program with 5000 places to help mature-aged workers turn work experience into qualifications.
"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."
