Miles Doing What Matters: $3 million for industry-led skills in aged care on Sunshine Coast and beyond

• $3 million committed for new industry-led skills solutions in the aged care sector. 
• Funding part of Miles Labor Government’s $35 million for industry-led skills solutions and will help secure more aged carers and meet the needs of an ageing population.
• Sunshine Coast region predicted to have the second fastest employment growth in the state, with Health Care and Social Assistance the leading employer.

The Miles Labor Government is doing what matters for Queenslanders with a new $3 million initiative aimed at getting more workers into the aged care sector by partnering with industry, training providers, and community organisations to meet workforce skills needs.

Industry Skills Solutions was developed in direct response to stakeholder feedback through the Queensland Skill Strategy’s consultation period, heeding industry calls for more flexible solutions to meet skilling needs.

The Industry Skills Solutions fund builds on and extends the model developed through the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Emerging Industries (VEI) initiative, with an expanded remit to focus on emerging skills needs within both current and new priority industries.

According to Jobs Queensland’s Anticipating Future Skills series, Health Care and Social Assistance is Queensland’s fastest growing industry - set to employ more than 487,000 people by 2025-26.

That includes an additional 14,300+ jobs for aged and disability care workers – a 25.2% increase in five years.

Queensland will require more high-skilled aged care workers, as Queensland’s population ages – with the percentage of the population 65 and over expected to grow from 17% in 2021 to 22% in 2050.

Quotes attributable to Member for Caloundra Jason Hunt MP:

“The Sunshine Coast is booming in terms of jobs, growth, and population, and we want to ensure locals get to enjoy our great quality of life right through to their older years.

“This initiative is about doing what matters for the locals that need aged care, and the workers the sector needs to deliver it.

Like doctors and nurses, our aged carers are health heroes – serving on the frontline, to ensure the health and wellbeing of Sunshine Coasters.”

Quotes attributable to Member for Nicklin Rob Skelton MP:

“With an ageing population comes a great responsibility, and we know there’s more to do to grow and better-equip our aged care workforce.

“We’ve been supporting more Sunshine Coast locals to pursue careers in aged care – with Certificate III in Individual Support one of the most popular qualifications under Free TAFE.

“And under Free TAFE, we’ve supported a new Dementia Support Skill Set to increase the skills and knowledge of the workforce providing care to people with dementia.”

Quotes attributable to Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development Lance McCallum:

"Under the LNP, Queenslanders witnessed the devastation of the workforce in our health and aged care sectors – TAFE campuses closed, hardworking staff sacked, and TAFE fees jacked up or courses cut across the state.

“On the frontline, David Crisafulli, Campbell Newman and the LNP fired around 80 health staff on the Sunshine Coast, including 64 nurses.

“Since the LNP’s cuts, Labor has hired more than 2,652 health staff across the Sunshine Coast including more than 1,500 midwives and nurses, 500 doctors, and almost 120 ambulance officers.”

Further information:

A working group and terms of reference will be established for Industry Skills Solutions – Aged Care made up of industry peak bodies and organisations, Jobs Queensland, public providers, community organisations and any relevant government and union representatives.

An implementation plan will be developed by the working group, with projects aligned to three guiding principles – training materials, addressing skills gaps, and workforce development.

For more information on the Industry Skills Solutions initiative, please visit: http://www.desbt.qld.gov.au/industry-skills-solutions

• $35 million has been committed for industry-led skills solutions over five years, as part of the Good Jobs, Great Training: Queensland Skills Strategy 2024–2028.
• The initiative was developed in response to stakeholder feedback through the Strategy’s consultation period, and provides funding for more immediate, customised, and innovative training responses to bridge current skills gaps.
• The Queensland Skills Strategy will deliver one million subsidised training places to ease cost of living pressures and train, reskill and upskill Queenslanders in priority sectors.
• Across five focus areas, the Strategy will unlock billions of dollars in annual skills investment – including a $370 million funding uplift to kickstart the Strategy.
• For more information, visit www.qld.gov.au/SkillsStrategy

ENDS