Regional Skills Projects
Projects
The three regional projects undertaken in 2008 are located in: Central Highlands, Queensland; Upper Hunter, New South Wales; and Northern Tasmania.
The framework of the regional projects was developed in collaboration with both the regional employers engaged in the project development consultations and the employer association project partners. These consultations enabled employers to work together to understand the challenges they faced in attracting and retaining skilled and semi-skilled workers in their industries and sectors.
All of the projects implemented in 2008 were assessed to ensure the project would be:
- Relevant to the regional employers’ local labour needs;
- Within the capacity of the region and of regional employers, building on existing partnerships, alliances, initiatives and/or training; and
- Representative of a mix of companies across multiple sectors in the region.
It was also essential that the regional pilot projects add value to employers within the region, and to the region itself.
The success of the regional projects was dependent upon effective collaboration between regional employer stakeholders within and across the REAP sectors, as well as other regional organisations including training bodies. Local employers were the primary decision makers and had ownership of the regional project implementation process.
The 2008 Pilot Projects
Upper Hunter, New South Wales
Investing in Pathways to the Future – Skills Cluster Training/Pathway for Certificates I and II – Small Plant
Develop common competency, training and associated attraction strategy.
- Aims to develop common occupational skill sets or clusters and associated training and accreditation by looking at what people do that is common across sectors, and not what sector they do it in;
- Will focus on the development of flexible career pathways that are mobile across industries and sectors by enabling people to work cross sectorally within the Upper Hunter, thereby retaining the skill sets in the region.
Northern Tasmania
Investing in the Region – Skills Cluster Training/Career Pathways for Sustainable Living with Transferable Land and Environment Management Skills
Develop common competency, training and associated attraction strategy.
- Aims to develop a skills and career pathway for an up and coming skill set that reflects the needs of a range of industries across sectors, particularly the growth industries in horticulture and forestry;
- Intention is that this career and training pathway could make the Northern Tasmania region attractive as a location for industries as well as for people seeking retraining, up-skilling and/or relocation;
- Skills relate to: horticulture, ate to: horticulture, landscaping, irrigation, fertilizers and chemical usage, and environmental renewal.
Central Highlands, Queensland
‘Grey Nomads’ Seasonal Workforce Attraction – Mature Worker Attraction
Matching local skill needs to skill sets of transient population.
- Aims to provide work opportunities for mature workers, especially mature semi retired travellers – ‘Grey Nomads’ – in areas where there are skill and labour shortages;
- Will match the skill needs of local industries to the skill sets and skill development potential of an experienced travelling population;
- Aims to establish a pool of workers with the potential to engage in a range of work activities that require minimal employer investment in training and skill development.
