Surat Basin Workforce Development Plan
This page provides detail on the Surat Basin Workforce Development Plan, which is a headline initiative of the Surat Basin Future Directions Statement.
Background
Objectives
Workforce outlook
Key actions
Download the plan
Background
The Surat Basin Future Directions Statement provides a framework for a coordinated, region-wide approach to maximise economic growth and stabilise development in the region.
Headline initiatives have been put in place to target key priority issues including developing a skilled workforce.
The Queensland Government has identified possible skill shortages in the Surat Basin workforce and the need to develop a comprehensive workforce development plan to address these issues and map future workforce needs.
Skills Queensland has worked in consultation with a range of regional stakeholders, including the councils, employers and key industry groups on the development of the Surat Basin Workforce Development Plan.
To find out more about the Surat Basin Future Directions Statement, including the Final Report and other headline initiatives, visit the Regions Queensland website.
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Objectives
The plan presents coordinated workforce development strategies focussed on four key objectives:
- attract people to the Surat Basin
- retain people in the Surat Basin
- develop the workforce to support the region's businesses to participate in supply chain opportunities from the energy and resources sector and service the local community
- improve the skills base of people in the Surat Basin through education and training strategies.
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Workforce outlook
The plan highlights that industry (including the CSG/LNG industry) will see significant growth in workforce demand from major projects between 2011 and 2031. Overall demand will increase considerably over the next five years as industries in the Surat Basin expand. Using the 2006 Census as a base, Surat Basin employment will grow from around 85,800 in 2009 to 158,000 in 2031.
The plan identifies a number of challenges in the ability of the local labour market to respond to projected growth. These include:
- an ageing workforce and population, with a higher proportion of residents 65 years or older in the Surat Basin
- a tendency for school leavers to leave the region seeking work or study opportunities
- a tendency for newly unemployed to leave the region
- relatively low unemployment in the region
- a slightly lower proportion of residents with post-school qualifications compared to Queensland as a whole
- a skills mismatch between the incumbent workforce, given the predominantly agricultural industry base, and the specialised skills required by the emerging CSG/LNG sector.
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Key actions
The key actions identified in the plan, to be implemented in collaboration with industry and community stakeholders, include:
- establishing a Surat Basin Skills Investment Program, which will be targeted to high priority workforce skilling needs
- appointing a Skills and Workforce Development Officer to coordinate the implementation of the Surat Basin Workforce Development Plan
- expanding the Skilling Solutions Queensland service in the region to provide formal recognition of the skills of the local workforce
- establishing the Health and Community Services Workforce Development Program to implement workforce strategies and support the region's liveability
- continuing to deliver the $10 million CSG/LNG Industry Training Fund
- Construction Skills Queensland implementing the workforce plan for the construction phase of the CSG/LNG industry, which includes the Construction Skills Queensland contribution of $5 million for training
- providing additional services through Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE in partnership with Skilling Solutions Queensland
- through the University of Southern Queensland, increasing delivery in communities throughout the Surat Basin via tertiary training at TAFE campuses, and providing additional support to students with VET qualifications to assist acceleration through tertiary studies
- build on the current development of the Local Government Workforce Retention Initiative across the Gladstone and Maranoa Regional Council areas to encourage the retention and attraction of skilled workers for all regional councils in the Surat Basin, through the provision of contract civil works for major projects.
Implementation of the workforce development plan will be oversighted by a reference group comprising key industry and regional stakeholders.
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Download the plan
Download the Surat Basin Workforce Development Plan.
Last updated:14/05/2012