$634,700 GRANT ASSISTS BUNDABERG JOBSEEKERS THROUGH MATES

The State Government is providing $634,770 to provide training and other assistance for 110 unemployed and underemployed people from around Bundaberg.

Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations John Mickel said the grant to the Salvation Army will fund its Motivation, Accreditation, Training and Employment Skills project.

“The MATES project is targeting young and mature-aged jobseekers to prepare them for employment and provide them with accredited training in business, retail operations, furniture making or horticulture,” Mr Mickel said.

“Thirty participants will also complete paid work placements which will give them valuable experience to include on their resumes.

“Unemployment is at a 30-year low of 3.8 per cent in Queensland, but our youth unemployment is higher than that figure.

“Mature-aged unemployment is lower than the state average but so is their labour force participation rate because if someone can’t find work they retire.

“To help continue our current economic boom we need all the people we can get participating in the workforce.

“That means getting these young people into a job and keeping mature-aged people motivated, happy and in the workforce.

“Through projects like MATES the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative will help give people the skills they need to participate meaningfully in the workforce while our Experience Pays Awareness Strategy is encouraging employers to recruit, retain and retrain mature-aged workers.”

Salvation Army Community Services Manager Tom Osborne said the project covered skills useful in any workplace.

“MATES offers people a chance to brush up on their workplace communication, team work, organisational and problem solving skills,” Mr Osborne said.

“A young person looking to start a career or an older person who wants to change jobs or re-enter the workforce can learn a lot through this course and will have the confidence and motivation employers are looking for.”

“There are 60 places for mature-aged people in our Experience Pays course and

50 places for people aged 17 to 24 in Youth Works.

During 2007/08 the Queensland Government will invest $80 million in the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative to give an estimated 17,000 long-term unemployed and underemployed people job related assistance and skills training to maximise labour force participation and increase Queensland's prosperity.

Twelve months after receiving employment and training assistance 67 per cent of participants are in employment.

Skilling Queenslanders for Work is part of the State Government’s $1 billion Queensland Skills Plan which aims to provide individuals and industry with the skills and workforce for the 21^st Century.

For more information on the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative visit www.employment.qld.gov.au or call 1300 369 925

Contact: Salvation Army Community Services Manager Tom Osborne

on 4153 3557 or tom.osborne@aue.salvationarmy.org

Ministerial contact: Chris Brown 3237 1944 or Nathan Moir on 3235 4060

November 13, 2007