National Skills Week highlights Gladstone’s training talent

The rise in trainee and apprenticeship numbers is showing the Palaszczuk Government’s record investment of more than $1 billion in training and skills is paying off, with people in Gladstone getting the qualifications they need for the jobs of the future.

Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer said ‘RE-THINK’, the theme of this year’s National Skills Week, encouraged Queenslanders to take a good look at the many and varied careers available through vocational training.

“Wherever you are in Queensland, you deserve the opportunity to get world class training to help you get the right job,” Minister Farmer said.

“There has never been a more important time to do this, and that’s why the Palaszczuk Government put investing in training and skills at the heart of our $14.2 billion COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan.”

Member for Gladstone, Glenn Butcher, said the government was supporting young people in the area with free training.

“We have free apprenticeships and free TAFE for under 25s across 165 priority skills areas including construction, health, and disability support services,” Mr Butcher said.

“And the figures show that it’s paying off: 45,700 apprentices and trainees started in the last financial year, which is a huge 56.6% rise on the year before.

“That includes 674 right here in Gladstone.

"As a qualified mechanical fitter and turner who did my apprenticeship with the Gladstone Power Station, I know how important it is to get access to quality skills and training. 

“Queensland is also the national leader in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships with 57% of the national total.”

Having the right facilities is vital to ensure Queenslanders continue to get world-class training.

“That’s why we have invested over $220 million into renewing and revitalising TAFEs across Queensland since 2017,” Mr Butcher said.

“And from this year, we are investing another $100 million.

“This will ensure our apprentices and trainees have world class facilities to train in and get the skills they need to change their lives.”

Gladstone’s Lachlan Overend is the Central Queensland regional winner of the Bob Marshman Trainee of the Year title in the 2021 Queensland Training Awards.

Lachlan completed a Certificate III in Warehousing Operations with TAFE Queensland while working at NRG Gladstone Power Station.

His training has enabled him to be part of a critical infrastructure operation in his hometown of Gladstone.

Lachlan is proud of his job and the industry he works in – and it's this pride that drives him to keep growing in his career.

“I love what I do – it’s so much more than I ever expected. I have to think about and plan through what I have to do physically, and I’m always thinking about the cause and effect that my actions have in the workplace.”

Minister Farmer said vocational education and training was vital to Queensland’s economy.

“We know that if you get the right training, you’re more likely to get the right job,” Minister Farmer said.

“I’d encourage every single person reading this to go and look up all the rewarding, lucrative and prestigious career opportunities available through vocational education and training.”

National Skills Week, which runs from August 23 to August 29, is an opportunity to raise awareness of the power of vocational education and training and the wide range of qualifications that lead to rewarding careers now and into the near future.

For more information about National Skills Week visit nationalskillsweek.com.au, or to learn more about subsidised training opportunities available to eligible Queenslanders visit desbt.qld.gov.au.

Media contact: Kate Talbot, 0439 803 211