Greater Whitsunday Workforce Development Playbook to build a future fit workforce.
Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) has released the Greater Whitsunday Workforce Development Playbook which identifies a range of future focused initiatives to create a dynamic and capable regional workforce.
Queensland Chief Entrepreneur Julia Spicer OAM will launch the Playbook at the Bowen Agriculture Centre of Excellence on Thursday May 4 followed by a tour of the newly opened facility.
Greater Whitsunday Alliance Chief Executive Officer Ms Kylie Porter said Ms Spicer is a rural entrepreneur and a catalyst for change and is the perfect person to formally launch the Playbook. “Julia's mission is to contribute to the vibrancy and viability of rural and regional Australia by helping businesses and communities grow and thrive.”
Ms Porter said Greater Whitsunday region is one of the world’s most economic diverse regions and the Playbook provides innovative and disruptive solutions to assist workforce attraction and retention across the region.
Ms Porter said the Playbook has a focus on reskilling existing workforces into decarbonised jobs; meeting the workforce needs of young people and increasing the agriculture and aquaculture skills pipeline, an area that our Chief Entrepreneur is particularly passionate about.
“The Playbook includes a series of initiatives or plays, that will not only support our region to grow and thrive, but also provide innovative and disruptive solutions to workforce attraction and retention; reskilling and meeting the emerging-workforce needs.
“We need to apply tomorrow’s thinking to solve today’s problems. “
With the expertise of Deloitte Access Economics and their research, the Greater Whitsunday Work Development Playbook has been created using place-based methodology including an extensive stakeholder consultation phase.
The Playbook has ten initiatives across three categories:
Fundamental short-term projects
Targeted medium-term and,
Iconic longer-term projects requiring significant planning and investment.
Ms Porter said one of the Iconic longer-term projects the Playbook features is The Ag Tech High School Academy.
Ms Porter said The AgTech High School Academy could see an existing high school given special designation as an Agricultural Technology Academy where the curriculum would be delivered with a specific agriculture focus.
“People are our greatest asset and our challenge in this changing world, especially for legacy industries like agriculture, is to create the best environment for young people to have access to education opportunities to provide them with fulfilling, rewarding careers.
“Our region has a total workforce of more than 97 ,000 people and we are changing and evolving, where traditional industries are complemented by emerging decarbonised industries including biomanufacturing, advanced manufacturing and aerospace.
Ms Porter said the Greater Whitsunday Workforce Development Playbook will support GW3 to lead stakeholders and region as a whole, to ensure our workforces remain dynamic, responsive and capable in the face of change.
You can download and read the Greater Whitsunday Workforce Development Playbook here