MINISTER ANNOUNCES OVER $2.6M TO ASSIST 600 JOBSEEKERS
Published Saturday, 07 October, 2006 at 12:00 PM
Minister for State Development, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
The State Development, Employment and Industrial Relations Minister John Mickel today announced that since the return of the Beattie Government last month more than $5 million of employment and skilling assistance will provide paid work to more than 1300 jobseekers across Queensland.
Mr Mickel said the funding for 19 projects was from a number of programs under the State Government’s Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.
“Skilling Queenslanders for Work is a key component of the $1 billion Queensland Skills Plan which is aimed at providing a skilled workforce for the State’s booming economy,” Mr Mickel said.
“Programs are targeted at the most disadvantaged jobseekers including the long-term unemployed, young people who have dropped out of the system, the mature-aged, those from a non-English speaking background and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”
Mr Mickel said one project, which had received funding of $512 000, would assist a total of 40 jobseekers in Pomona, Elliott Heads and Nanango while contributing to local communities.
“Part of the project includes giving a facelift to the world’s oldest continually operating silent theatre, the Majestic in Pomona,” Mr Mickel said.
The renovation will preserve the 85-year-old building and prevent it from falling into irreversible damage.
“The work will allow the theatre to be used as a multi-purpose venue as it was when first built in 1921.
“Participants will re-roof, re-stump, assist in re-wiring, and construct a commercial kitchen, pave, concrete and paint.”
“Other components of the project include extending the Elliott Heads Bowls Club and re-establishing the original 1866 Nanango school building for use as an education museum.
“These projects will give something back to the community and help jobseekers learn new skills and build new careers.”
A new apprentice training program in the Torres Strait aimed at improving the quality and variety of work experience for 20 young Indigenous apprentices has received $153 280 funding.
“Apprentices in remote areas are often at a major disadvantage at critical stages of their training due to lack of suitably qualified tradespeople to monitor and support their development and a lack of appropriate work experience,” Mr Mickel said.
“This project will build the capacity of remote communities to fill employment vacancies from within their own populations.”
Mr Mickel said 60 jobseekers from Brisbane’s south bay side region would develop in-demand skills in food manufacturing through an $86 860 Skilling Queenslanders for Work grant.
“This pre-employment training project comes at a time of significant skills shortages in the Australia Trade Coast and Gateway/Ports area,” he said
“Strong employment growth is anticipated for this region with firms ready to employ around 400 food manufacturing staff in the next 12 months.
“Jobseekers will gain accredited and non-accredited skills including seven competencies from Certificate III in Hospitality – Catering Operations delivered by the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE.”
Mr Mickel said other projects and funding included:
• $491 880 for a 12-month agreement with BoysTown for the organisation to run a range of employment and training projects in the Logan, bay side and South-West Brisbane area to assist 40 marginalised and disadvantaged young people;
• $287 950 to provide jobs and skills for more than 24 Ipswich long-term unemployed jobseekers through redevelopment of the former Tivoli Drive-In theatre site at Chuwar;
• $267 490 to provide training in construction and landscaping to 24 disadvantaged jobseekers to renovate the Macgregor Out-of-Hours Care Centre;
• $96 240 to allow eight Bundaberg jobseekers to carve our new careers in the woodworking industry;
• $70 000 to help 60 long-term unemployed Longreach jobseekers to develop the skills to find jobs;
• $ 46 350 for language, literacy and numeracy training at Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE for 40 long-term unemployed Goondiwindi jobseekers;
• $70 000 for 12-months training and employment assistance in Fortitude Valley for 50 young people and migrants, mainly from the South Pacific island community;
• $24 070 for 20 Maryborough residents from a non-English speaking background to improve their language and literacy skills;
• $24 400 to provide 23 disadvantaged Gold Coast jobseekers with literacy and numeracy assistance;
• $98 070 for eight long-term unemployed Mackay jobseekers to be employed part-time with local community organisations and gain confidence and experience;
• $74 750 to assist more than 70 Sunshine Coast jobseekers to enter the hospitality and engineering industries;
• $93 430 for a joint venture with Noosa Shire Council to provide six paid entry-level positions to local people with a disability;
• $13 320 to allow 10 Caloundra jobseekers to improve their language, literacy and numeracy skills to improve their chances of finding jobs; and
• $32 000 to Queensland Community Arts Network to employ two trainees to develop skills in arts administration.
Mr Mickel said the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program would also administer two Queenslanders Working Together projects for mature-aged jobseekers on behalf of the Australian Government.
They were an $82 580 project for 44 participants on the Sunshine Coast and a $78 820 project for 65 participants at Gympie.
Skilling Queenslanders for Work and its predecessor, the Breaking the Unemployment Cycle initiative, have helped to create more than 109 000 jobs across Queensland since 1998.
Ministerial media contact: Chris Brown 3224 7349 or Elouise Campion 3224 6784.
Department of Employment and Industrial Relations:Kathryn Lund 3247 5844
Mr Mickel said the funding for 19 projects was from a number of programs under the State Government’s Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.
“Skilling Queenslanders for Work is a key component of the $1 billion Queensland Skills Plan which is aimed at providing a skilled workforce for the State’s booming economy,” Mr Mickel said.
“Programs are targeted at the most disadvantaged jobseekers including the long-term unemployed, young people who have dropped out of the system, the mature-aged, those from a non-English speaking background and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.”
Mr Mickel said one project, which had received funding of $512 000, would assist a total of 40 jobseekers in Pomona, Elliott Heads and Nanango while contributing to local communities.
“Part of the project includes giving a facelift to the world’s oldest continually operating silent theatre, the Majestic in Pomona,” Mr Mickel said.
The renovation will preserve the 85-year-old building and prevent it from falling into irreversible damage.
“The work will allow the theatre to be used as a multi-purpose venue as it was when first built in 1921.
“Participants will re-roof, re-stump, assist in re-wiring, and construct a commercial kitchen, pave, concrete and paint.”
“Other components of the project include extending the Elliott Heads Bowls Club and re-establishing the original 1866 Nanango school building for use as an education museum.
“These projects will give something back to the community and help jobseekers learn new skills and build new careers.”
A new apprentice training program in the Torres Strait aimed at improving the quality and variety of work experience for 20 young Indigenous apprentices has received $153 280 funding.
“Apprentices in remote areas are often at a major disadvantage at critical stages of their training due to lack of suitably qualified tradespeople to monitor and support their development and a lack of appropriate work experience,” Mr Mickel said.
“This project will build the capacity of remote communities to fill employment vacancies from within their own populations.”
Mr Mickel said 60 jobseekers from Brisbane’s south bay side region would develop in-demand skills in food manufacturing through an $86 860 Skilling Queenslanders for Work grant.
“This pre-employment training project comes at a time of significant skills shortages in the Australia Trade Coast and Gateway/Ports area,” he said
“Strong employment growth is anticipated for this region with firms ready to employ around 400 food manufacturing staff in the next 12 months.
“Jobseekers will gain accredited and non-accredited skills including seven competencies from Certificate III in Hospitality – Catering Operations delivered by the Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE.”
Mr Mickel said other projects and funding included:
• $491 880 for a 12-month agreement with BoysTown for the organisation to run a range of employment and training projects in the Logan, bay side and South-West Brisbane area to assist 40 marginalised and disadvantaged young people;
• $287 950 to provide jobs and skills for more than 24 Ipswich long-term unemployed jobseekers through redevelopment of the former Tivoli Drive-In theatre site at Chuwar;
• $267 490 to provide training in construction and landscaping to 24 disadvantaged jobseekers to renovate the Macgregor Out-of-Hours Care Centre;
• $96 240 to allow eight Bundaberg jobseekers to carve our new careers in the woodworking industry;
• $70 000 to help 60 long-term unemployed Longreach jobseekers to develop the skills to find jobs;
• $ 46 350 for language, literacy and numeracy training at Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE for 40 long-term unemployed Goondiwindi jobseekers;
• $70 000 for 12-months training and employment assistance in Fortitude Valley for 50 young people and migrants, mainly from the South Pacific island community;
• $24 070 for 20 Maryborough residents from a non-English speaking background to improve their language and literacy skills;
• $24 400 to provide 23 disadvantaged Gold Coast jobseekers with literacy and numeracy assistance;
• $98 070 for eight long-term unemployed Mackay jobseekers to be employed part-time with local community organisations and gain confidence and experience;
• $74 750 to assist more than 70 Sunshine Coast jobseekers to enter the hospitality and engineering industries;
• $93 430 for a joint venture with Noosa Shire Council to provide six paid entry-level positions to local people with a disability;
• $13 320 to allow 10 Caloundra jobseekers to improve their language, literacy and numeracy skills to improve their chances of finding jobs; and
• $32 000 to Queensland Community Arts Network to employ two trainees to develop skills in arts administration.
Mr Mickel said the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program would also administer two Queenslanders Working Together projects for mature-aged jobseekers on behalf of the Australian Government.
They were an $82 580 project for 44 participants on the Sunshine Coast and a $78 820 project for 65 participants at Gympie.
Skilling Queenslanders for Work and its predecessor, the Breaking the Unemployment Cycle initiative, have helped to create more than 109 000 jobs across Queensland since 1998.
Ministerial media contact: Chris Brown 3224 7349 or Elouise Campion 3224 6784.
Department of Employment and Industrial Relations:Kathryn Lund 3247 5844