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Jobs and Skills Development Officer (JSDO)
PRIORITY SKILLS DEVELOPMENT - FREE RETAIL WORKSHOPS
The National Retail Association (NRA) in conjunction with the Queensland Government is offering free retail workshops to existing workers in disaster affected regions.
These professional development workshops offer a range of topics for business owners, part-time and full-time staff whose businesses were affected by the 2011 disasters.
Retailers wishing to complete the form to easily attach to email, please click here.
For further information, contact Daile Kelleher, Jobs and Skills Development Officer for the National Retail Association.
Phone: 0409 625 189
Email: Daile Kelleher
SKILLING SOLUTIONS SYMPOSIUM REPORT
Western Downs Regional Council through its Jobs and Skills Development Task Group has responded to the pressing challenges of the Western Downs skills shortage crisis releasing a report identifying a range of strategies aimed at addressing the region’s current and future workforce needs.
The Western Downs Skilling Solutions Symposium Report outlines the critical issues affecting local business and solutions to what business, education and government can do to ensure the Western Downs has the skilled workforce it needs to compete in the national and global economy.
More than 100 representatives from business, government, education and training sectors had input into the report in which they shared their concerns and experiences as well as contributed to the generation of up to 385 possible skilling solutions.
Mayor Ray Brown said the report would be a vital tool in addressing skills shortages in the region.
The one-day Symposium held in October was a big success in generating a wide range of possible initiatives that will contribute to the Council’s ongoing strategies to meet the immediate and future skills needs of the region,” Cr Brown said.
“It provided local businesses with a unique opportunity to work together to identify critical skills shortages and develop practical solutions to address them.
“Many of these excellent solutions can be implemented in the short term as well as for strategic approaches for the long term. These solutions will be integral in guiding the formation of the Western Downs Skills Strategy currently underway by the Western Downs Jobs and Skills Task Group.”
Cr Brown said rapid growth of the resource sector in the Surat Basin was identified as a key contributor to the current skills crisis in the Western Downs region.
He said the workforce challenge is a significant issue in Western Downs with many employers struggling to find sufficient numbers of qualified people.
“A large number of businesses in the region are being impacted by skills shortages as a result of the expanding resource sector and experiencing difficulties in attracting, finding and retaining skilled and unskilled workers.
“Local business leaders gave real accounts of the significant effects skill shortages are having on their businesses. Many of which reported they are struggling to retain workers as the available workforce opts for the higher wages and rosters offered by resource companies.”
Cr Brown said the Western Downs Regional Skills Strategy would be directed at reforming the vocational education and training sector to meet industry demands; attracting and retaining skilled and unskilled workers to meet labour demand; and addressing housing/accommodation affordability in the region to accommodate the workforce needed.
The strategy would also look at improving public and social infrastructure to support the region’s rapid population growth and non-monetary workforce planning options allowing local business to compete with resource companies.
“If we don’t act now the challenges will intensify in the years ahead,” Cr Brown said.
A full report containing the findings from the Western Downs Skilling Solutions Symposium is now available for download below.
Western Downs Skilling Solutions Symposium Report
SKILLS GAP ANALYSIS
The Western Downs Jobs and Skills Task Group recently released a Skills Survey to be completed by all organisations operating in the Western Downs region.
The survey was distributed to businesses and organisations across the region via email and post along with an invitation to complete. A copy of the results has now been distributed to each respondent.
For a copy of the results, please use the link below.
JOBS AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Skills Queensland, in partnership with the Queensland Departments of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) and Education and Training (DET), and the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), has developed the $83 million 2011 Queensland Natural Disasters Jobs and Skills Package to support Queensland industry, businesses and communities to recover from the recent flood and cyclone crises.
The package is an investment in skills and employment initiatives aiming to: mitigate skills and job losses; support the retention of skilled workers in local communities and address emergent skills shortages.
The Jobs and Skills Development Officer (JSDO) initiative will provide funding of up to $4 million for JSDOs to coordinate employment and skills assistance across flood affected regions, and to support specific workforce development strategies aligned to the needs of affected industries.
Employed by Western Downs Regional Council, the Jobs and Skills Development Officer for the Western Downs region is Tamara White.
JOBS AND SKILLS TASK GROUP
A task group of federal, state and local government representatives, industry leaders and local business operators, has been established to drive the planning, development and implementation of the Jobs and Skills project for the Western Downs region.
The first task for the group is to conduct a Skills Gap Analysis of organisations across the Western Downs region, to determine the region’s current, emerging and future skills needs.
The results of the Skills Gap Analysis will be used in the development of a regional Skills Strategy, which will feature a range of employment and training initiatives to support the region’s ongoing workforce needs.