Joshua Ramirez is enrolled in a Tertiary Preparation course at Bega's NSW TAFE campus, but due to COVID-19 restrictions he said he must take his lessons at home and only visit the Barrack St campus for tests.

"It's definitely been a bit harder. I would prefer having lessons face-to-face, it makes everything much easier," the 17-year-old said.

"A lot of people need that learning environment."

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Joshua said his grades had suffered since he had to study from home, and while he admitted he could have studied harder he said he also found it more difficult than being in a classroom.

"For my classmates, it was bad for them," he said.

"I'm probably the only one who said 'I can still do this'; everyone else felt kinda hopeless."

NSW Teachers Federation TAFE organiser Robert Long said while online learning was certainly useful for some students, "for other people it doesn't work".

He also said during the pandemic teachers have been "turning themselves inside out trying to keep students engaged", saying he knew some were sending hard copies of documents to their students, while others were working one-on-one with them over the phone.

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But teachers have told him the longer restrictions continue the harder it will be to keep students engaged.

To support teachers during the health restrictions he called on the state government to increase funding to TAFE to recruit more teachers to cope with the extra workload.

A spokesperson for TAFE NSW said TAFE was carefully managing a staged approach to the resumption of on campus delivery, in line with the latest advice from health authorities.

"TAFE NSW recommenced modified face-to-face delivery for some courses in late April, with practical exercises adjusted for social distancing and hygiene practices, while other classes continued through connected learning," the spokesperson said.

They said as distinct from online learning, connected learning is where students and teachers join together in real-time via web-conferencing and follow a class timetable filled with practical and interactive lessons.

"The move to connected delivery has been well-received by students overall, and has enabled TAFE NSW to support its students to continue with their studies with the least disruption possible in these challenging circumstances," the spokesperson said.

"TAFE NSW facilities have remained open throughout these challenging times meaning students are able to access a full range of services, including disability, counselling and technology access support."