Increased investment by the Queensland Government to provide access to quality and affordable vocational education and training is critical for the building a workforce to meet the region’s future needs.
Council today endorsed a submission to the Queensland Parliament’s Education, Employment and Training Committee on the delivery of vocational education and training (VET) in regional, rural, and remote Queensland.
Education and training has been identified as a priority industry in Council’s Economic Development Strategy 2022-2026, and is the fifth largest industry by jobs and contribution to the Cairns economy.
While Cairns enjoys an excellent foundation on which to build a robust economy for the future, as the region grows investment will be required to provide people with access to quality, supportive and affordable vocational education and training.
Council’s submission makes a series of recommendations in this regard including for a Workforce Development Plan to be prepared for the Cairns region, which would identify the medium to long term skills needs for priority industries.
The plan would help inform the future vocational education and training (and related investment) required to meet those skills needs.
