The RJC is driven by locals, for locals, bringing together community leaders, businesses, training providers and industry representatives, to ensure training and employment solutions meet the needs of the region now and into the future.
Key RJC Projects
Greater Businesses Series
The Greater Businesses series aims to enhance awareness and knowledge of existing programs, including under the Queensland Workforce Strategy, that address workforce challenges and support business growth.
Greater Connections
The Greater Connections video series is an initiative designed to raise awareness about existing programs, funding, and support available for small and medium businesses.
Greater Foundations
Career-based classroom learning and professional development events for educators across the Greater Whitsunday region.
Greater Careers Digital Workforce Campaign
GW3 developed a series of three videos, designed to attract a digital workforce to the region and change perceptions about the career opportunities in the Greater Whitsunday region.
Greater Whitsunday Future Finder
The Greater Whitsunday Future Finder is a website designed for young people and their parents and teachers, to explore future careers in our region.
RJC Local Workforce Forum
Regional Workforce Forums, held in Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday, give local businesses a space to talk about their workforce needs, share challenges, explore solutions, and tap into helpful resources.They also help the RJC understand what’s really happening on the ground, so programs can be shaped to better support the region.
Greater Whitsunday Future Finder
Interactive features such as engaging videos, local imagery, clickable maps, and industry-specific insights bring career pathways to life. Users can explore careers by industry or impact areas—like health and social wellbeing or environment & sustainability—helping them align interests with purpose. The platform also includes educator resources for parents and teachers to support career conversations at school and home.
Greater Whitsunday Future Finder launched on 17 July 2025, supported by a month-long targeted social media campaign across Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Initial engagement with the platform has been strong, with over 900 users and 1300 sessions in the first month, and the Instagram launch video reached 8,680 people, with 163 direct clicks to the site. Ongoing efforts are focused on increasing traffic through school, industry, and community networks.
Greater Businesses Series
The Greater Businesses series aims to enhance awareness and knowledge of existing programs, including under the Queensland Workforce Strategy, that address workforce challenges and support business growth. The series will deliver three hybrid events within the Greater Whitsunday region, focusing on specific local workforce issues and providing tailored solutions and program support to small and medium businesses. The series will contribute to a more connected and robust local workforce ecosystem.
The Gen Z Advantange: Boosting Business with Young Talent
As businesses navigate rapid technological advancements and evolving societal norms, the influence of Gen Z (born 1995-2009) becomes increasingly significant. This generation, characterised by digital nativity, global awareness, and a commitment to social impact, brings valuable skills and fresh perspectives. For businesses aiming to thrive and future proof their workforce in a rapidly changing world, understanding and leveraging the potential of Gen Z is paramount.
OUTCOMES
With 24 businesses from the Mackay, Isaac, and Whitsunday regions in attendance, the event received excellent feedback: 100% rated it very good (5/5 stars), and 90% reported a stronger understanding of available business supports.
The Upskilling Edge: Unlocking Workforce Potential
If you’re a business leader, manager, or HR professional, this is an event you won’t want to miss. The rapidly changing business environment demands a workforce that’s both adaptable and skilled, and Simon Tufrey, a recognized expert in workforce capability, will provide actionable strategies to help you assess, enhance, and leverage your team’s skills for maximum business performance.
OUTCOMES
With 29 businesses from the Mackay, Isaac, and Whitsunday regions in attendance, the event received excellent feedback: 100% of participants rated the event as good or very good (4-5/5 stars), and 92% reported a stronger understanding of available business supports.
The Resilient Workplace: Mastering Change and Retaining Talent
This half-day event, The Resilient Workplace: Mastering Change & Retaining Talent, will equip business owners and professionals with practical strategies to strengthen team resilience, manage change fatigue, and build a thriving workplace culture.
OUTCOMES
With 13 businesses from the Mackay, Isaac, and Whitsunday regions in attendance, the event received excellent feedback: 100% of participants rated the event as good or very good, and 92% reported a stronger understanding of available business supports.
Greater Connections
The Greater Connections video series is an initiative designed to raise awareness about existing programs, funding, and support available for small and medium businesses. Through a series of engaging and informative video interviews, the series connects local businesses with the tools and resources they need to build capacity, boost productivity, and strengthen resilience—empowering them to grow and adapt in a changing economic landscape.
Greater Connections Results
Launched in June 2025, the campaign has achieved over 85,000 views, reached 46,389 people, and generated over 1,100 clicks—demonstrating strong engagement from the business community. All four videos are now available on the GW3 YouTube channel, providing businesses with ongoing access to practical insights, expert advice, and connections to valuable Queensland Government programs.
Multiculturalism
Stronger, more connected communities.
As part of the Community Action for a Multicultural Society (CAMS) network, this program creates meaningful opportunities for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds to engage, participate, and thrive in the local community.
Through advocacy, capacity-building, and community-driven initiatives, the program strengthens social cohesion and celebrates the richness of our multicultural region.
Industry Workforce Advisors
Plan. Connect. Grow.
Industry Workforce Advisors Explained Discover how partnering with an Industry Workforce Advisor can help your business tackle employment challenges, strengthen your workforce, and access the right programs, incentives, and funding.
Part of Queensland’s Good people. Good jobs. Strategy, Industry Workforce Advisors work directly with small to medium businesses to: Identify workforce needs and develop tailored solutions Connect you with grants, wage subsidies, and recruitment support Promote diversity by helping you access underrepresented talent pools
Whether you’re looking to plan smarter, recruit better, or grow stronger — an Industry Workforce Advisor can guide you through every step.
Mentoring for Growth
Grow with Expert Support.
Mentoring for Growth (M4G) Unlock expert guidance tailored to your business challenges with Queensland’s Mentoring for Growth (M4G) program.
This free initiative connects eligible businesses with experienced volunteer mentors who offer practical advice, fresh perspectives, and proven strategies for growth. Whether you’re navigating recovery, preparing to pitch, or exploring export opportunities — there’s a mentor ready to support you.
With more than 300 mentors across Queensland, M4G provides access to sessions focused on: Business growth Investment readiness Export opportunities Business recovery Pitching and presentation skills Delivered mostly online and available statewide, M4G is designed to help Queensland businesses succeed — no matter where they are.
TAFE Microcredentials
Skill Up, Stay Ahead.
TAFE Queensland Micro-credentials Looking to boost your skills without the time or cost of a full qualification? TAFE Queensland’s micro-credentials offer fast, flexible, and often fully funded professional development to help you stay competitive.
Through short, self-paced courses across industries like business, community services, agriculture, and mining, you can: Learn in-demand skills Earn industry-recognised digital badges Advance your career on your terms
Whether you’re upskilling yourself or your team, micro-credentials are a smart way to grow in today’s changing workforce.
Greater Foundations
Career-based classroom learning and professional development events for educators across the Greater Whitsunday region.
Live Events
Greater Foundations 23 & 24
Greater Foundations is a teacher PD that aims to connect educators with industry to provide them with a holistic picture of the opportunities that exist for students in region. Attendees heard from a range of industry experts representing tourism, advanced manufacturing, agriculture and more. Sessions were held on classroom application to help educators understand the practical ways to implement learnings into their classroom to provide the most benefit to students.
Watch the highlights from the 2024 event.
OUTCOMES
Greater Foundations24 was held on 19 July 2024 at the Resources Centre of Excellence (RCOE). A total of 23 educators attended the event with 10 schools represented from the region (state and private).
Feedback from the event was extremely positive. At the beginning of the day, educators rated their understanding of the career opportunities in the region as 68% compared to 88% at the conclusion of the PD.
Satellite Events
Greater Foundations 23 & 25
Nicole Dyson from Future Anything returned for the 2025 webinar and sessions were held on curriculum innovation, immersive VR, and regional training programs in health and agriculture—equipping educators with practical tools to connect learning to real-world careers.
OUTCOMES
Greater Foundations25 was delivered as a free online webinar on 31 March 2025, targeted at high school leaders across the Greater Whitsunday region. A total of 15 educators attended the event with 10 schools represented from the region (state and private).
Feedback from the event was extremely positive with an average event rating of 8.5 out of 10 and 80% of attendees rated their understanding of regional career opportunities as good or excellent after the event.
The 2023 Satellite Tour covered the Whitsundays and Isaac regions. Watch the Whitsunday tour video.
Career Education Modules
The Career Education Module Project, an initiative of the Greater Whitsunday Regional Jobs Committee and proudly funded by the Queensland Government, provides valuable educational resources for teachers and students.
Greater Careers
Digital Workforce Campaign
The Greater Whitsunday Future Employment Study identifies that the region will need 3,000 digital professionals by 2030. We need to redirect people’s skills to meet the demands of a changing world through the attraction of digital talent. GW3 developed a series of three videos, designed to attract a digital workforce to the region and change perceptions about the career opportunities in the Greater Whitsunday region.
Campaign Results
The campaign began in April 2024 and ran for six weeks. A total of 113.5k people were reached via Facebook with approximately 49.9k clicks to GW3’s Workforce Development YouTube channel (displaying stories of people and industry in region). On LinkedIn, 84.2k people were reached. These insights demonstrate significant engagement with the campaign. The campaign will be conducted again towards the end of 2024 to start of 2025 when the new GW3 website is developed (this will allow further action and directly link audiences to relevant content).
Video 1: Heart
Video 2: Hands
Video 3: Mind
Local Workforce Forums
On 16 May 2024, the Whitsundays Chamber of Commerce and Industry held the inaugural Whitsunday Business Conference to coincide with a visit from the Queensland Small Business Commissioner, Dominique Lamb. Just over 55 local business owners, regional organisations and government representatives attended the event.
OUTCOMES
Skilling & training staff was identified as the most significant challenge followed by attraction & retention of staff. Keeping up with technological change and decarbonising/managing environmental impact were rated as moderate to minor challenges. Staff accommodation/housing, staff motivation and wage expectations were also highlighted as challenges for the region.
On 23 May 2024, 200 delegates attended the Decarbonisation Accelerated Summit in Mackay. The Summit acted as a dynamic gathering of industry leaders, innovators, and visionaries committed to driving real change towards a cleaner future for the Greater Whitsunday region. At the Summit, four breakout sessions were run concurrently – Industry, Environment, Opportunity & People. The RJC hosted the People Stream breakout session.
The People Stream aimed to understand the skills and expertise needed in a changing, low carbon world.
Project Manager for the Greater Whitsunday RJC, Georgia Lavers, ran a workshop focused on the workforce challenges faced by the region and possible interventions. This session was leveraged as an RJC Local Workforce Forum for the Macky region to ensure adequate representation of local voices to steer the work of the RJC.
On 20 February 2025, the Isaac Business Chamber hosted the Mayor’s Breakfast in Moranbah. The event brought together 62 attendees and focused on the theme of finding co-existence between mining and emerging industries.
GW3 CEO, Kylie Porter, served as the MC, leading discussions with key speakers, including Nathan Corbett (President, Isaac Business Chamber), Steven Boxall (CEO, Resources Centre of Excellence), Cynthia Harrison (Head of Procurement, BMA) and Kelly Vea Vea (Mayor, Isaac Regional Council).
Discussions on the day indicated that attracting and retaining talent in a competitive market is a key challenge for the Isaac region along with access to housing and childcare.
Projects Timeline
July 2025
May 2025
March 2025
March 2025
November 2024
August 2024
July 2024
May 2024
May 2024
2024
January 2024
May 2023
March 2023
March 2022
2021
February 2020
Stay up to date
The Greater Whitsunday RJC has developed a monthly newsletter called the Workforce Navigator. Through the newsletter, we aim to support local businesses with the latest business news and provide strategies to help address workforce challenges.
The newsletter will be used to connect local businesses with resources, events, and funding linked to the Queensland Workforce Strategy (QWS) and other relevant initiatives.
