- Crisafulli Government's Growing Workforce Participation Fund will inject $2.3 million into creating a more diverse workforce across the State.
- 13 industry and community groups will receive grants to help disadvantaged jobseekers connect with suitable employers.
- This funding will assist up to 392 employers, 428 employees and 904 jobseekers.
The Crisafulli Government has delivered another round of the Growing Workforce Participation fund, helping to deliver on our promise to fix Labor's skilled worker shortage.
More than a dozen industry and community groups will receive grants of up to $200,000 helping disadvantaged jobseekers connect with suitable employers, including in the construction workforce in South East and Far North Queensland.
The funded projects focus on supporting young people aged 15–24 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability; the culturally and linguistically diverse, and the long-term unemployed to find meaningful employment.
Successful projects in this round include:
- Regional Development Australia Ipswich & West Moreton Inc's Women in Agriculture project will create accessible, entry-level pathways for up to 100 women in the agriculture workforce.
- Central Queensland University's (Rockhampton) Careers in Health for All project will help up to 80 neurodivergent nursing students build employment skills.
- Torres Strait Kaziw Meta Inc's (Thursday Island) Remote Indigenous Boarding Students Mentoring and Employment Support project will support up to 45 boarding students transition from school to their chosen careers.
- Australian Brick and Blocklaying Training Foundation Ltd's Lay the Way project offers a pre-apprenticeship program for up to 36 jobseekers in Logan, Ipswich and Far North Queensland, so participants can confidently transition to a Certificate III in Bricklaying.
The grants are one of the ways the Crisafulli Government is securing a pipeline of skilled workers to support small business, and delivering a better lifestyle through a stronger economy.
Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates said the Growing Workforce Participation Fund, part of the long-running Back to Work program, helped employers and jobseekers to build workplace confidence while expanding the pipeline of skilled workers for the future.
"This initiative gives businesses the confidence to employ Queenslanders who have experienced a period of unemployment, and provides disadvantaged jobseekers with pre-employment support, so they can join the workforce with confidence," Minister Bates said.
"These 13 projects from Thursday Island to Ipswich create innovative plans to address local skills shortages, diversify our workforce and strengthen our communities and economy.
"This is just another way we're delivering on our promise to secure a pipeline of skilled workers for the future, after it was left unfunded by the previous Labor Government.
"The Crisafulli Government is fixing a decade of Labor inaction on skills training, so Queenslanders get the skills they need to succeed, and the jobs they deserve.
"Programs like Growing Workforce Participation Fund are creating access to high quality training and jobs that last, which is at the heart of strong communities and resilient regional economies."
