In its submission to the Joint Committee on the National Broadband Network, Communications Division (CWU) of the union said there were a number of issues relating to the supply of labour to NBN Co for the NBN rollout.

"These relate to the question of skills development and potential skills shortages for the project as a whole, above and beyond the Telstra training programme," the submission reads. The $100 million, according to the CWU, is a grant from the Commonwealth as part of the Definitive Agreements governing the NBN project.

The CWU said a number of initiatives had been undertaken by NBN Co by training providers and the Commonwealth and States to ensure the availability of an appropriately trained workforce for the NBN rollout. However, the CWU feared these initiatives could prove insufficient.

"The CWU is concerned, however, that these may not yet be sufficiently well co-ordinated and funded to meet the needs of the project in a timely fashion," the submission reads.

The CWU said it had met with Telstra to discuss the content of the training program and the timetable for its implementation, but the union was concerned that little training to date had occurred. The CWU was also concerned that it was still unclear as to what the new roles and jobs the training was meant train current staff to.