Skills Formation Strategy project: research phase report

This report was prepared for the Far North Queensland Industry Workforce Development Group (FNQ IWD) and stakeholders in the Skills Formation Strategy to provide an overview of the known economic, demographic and labour supply and demand factors, relevant to the FNQ region given the projected growth in the resources sector nationally and the subsequent increase in competition for skilled labour. The FNQ region has a skilled workforce employed currently in sectors such as the construction, agriculture, tourism, transport and manufacturing areas that require the same or complimentary skills sets to the resources sector. Faced with increased demand for skilled labour from outside of the region and lower levels of activity within the region, FNQ employers are already experiencing the loss of experienced staff and apprentices to the resources sector. Challenges facing employers in the FNQ region with regard to having a skilled and accessible workforce based in the region include: developing recruitment and retention strategies that engage the available resident labour force and those exiting the resources sector; increasing the skilled labour pool in the region while activity is still relatively low, and providing training opportunities in a timely manner for occupations known to be in shortage or high demand, including providing on the job experience and while ensuring the quality of skills developed is maintained.

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