PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd has put jobs and climate change at the centre of Labor's agenda towards the next election, flagging a $100 million plan to create 50,000 green jobs and training opportunities.

The announcement was the centrepiece of his speech to Labor faithful at the start of the three-day ALP national conference today.

He took to the stage with much less fanfare than two years ago, when Labor was just months away from what turned out to be a successful federal election.

Mr Rudd told delegates his Government planned to continue the Labor tradition of nation-building.

"This is the tradition of which we are so proud. And this is the tradition which now shapes the future we would craft for Australia," he said.

The Prime Minister outlined a plan to "green" the workforce through a $94 million job creation and training program.

"The Government will now create 50,000 new green jobs, traineeships and apprenticeships aimed chiefly at helping young Australians to obtain new skills during the downturn - new skills which will become highly applicable in the low carbon economy of the future," Mr Rudd said.
  
"The climate change sceptics constantly scaremonger about the possible loss of jobs through the transition to a lower carbon economy.

"But they constantly fail to talk about the new clean energy jobs of the future which will arise from the introduction of the carbon pollution reduction scheme, the renewable energy target and energy efficiency measures in the future."

The plan will consist of the creation of a 10,000-member national Green Jobs Corps, where long-term young jobless will take part in six months of training and work experience.

Labor plans that 30,000 apprentices will be trained with green skills, while there will be an additional 4000 training places for insulation installers. There will also be another 6000 jobs from environmental sustainability programs in priority local economies.