Meeting of the minds mapping North Queensland future skills needs

Representatives from North Queensland businesses, the education sector and government will today (Friday, 20^th October) meet in Townsville to map the region’s future skills needs as a part of the North Queensland Infrastructure Work Pipeline and Skills Map information session.

Minister Assisting the Premier on North Queensland Coralee O’Rourke said the event was timely, given the number of key infrastructure projects currently in the pipeline.                          

“Thanks to strong investment by the Palaszczuk Government in job-creating infrastructure like the Townsville Stadium, and our Works for Queensland program, North Queensland’s economy is on the rise,” Minister O’Rourke said.

“We are already seeing a high demand for skilled workers and we want to ensure this region is prepared to meet emerging skills and training needs.

“This event is about making sure we are proactive about skilling North Queensland to meet the demands of tomorrow.”

Minister O’Rourke said successful Palaszczuk Government initiatives such as the Back to Work, Building our Regions, and Skilling Queenslanders for Work programs were creating jobs.

“Since the Palaszczuk Government took office more than 122, 500 jobs have been created in Queensland, and the state’s trend unemployment rate has dropped to 5.9% in September, compared with the 6.6% left behind by the LNP,” Minister O’Rourke said.

“Skilling Queenslanders for Work projects alone have helped 620 people in the Townsville region get back into the workforce.

“Economically we are on track but we are not about to rest on our laurels, because we know there is more to be done, especially in North Queensland.

“The Palaszczuk Government is continuing to invest in rural and regional areas in job-creating infrastructure projects.

“We want to make sure we remain in a good position to capitalise on the potential opportunities in the work pipeline.”

The event is a joint initiative between Townsville Chamber of Commerce, Tec-NQ, Tafe Queensland North, Federal Member for Herbert Cathy O’Toole, and Minister Coralee O’Rourke.

ENDS

Media Contact: Benjamin Mulcahy 0419 562 389