REGIONAL EDUCATION, SKILLS AND JOBS
PLAN
QUEENSLAND – MACKAY WHITSUNDAY
2012 – 2014
JULY 2013
This plan was first published in July 2012. This is the July 2013 edition.
Details in this report are correct at time of drafting.
This report can be found at the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs webpage (www.deewr.gov.au/resj) or the
My Region website (www.myregion.gov.au).
For more information about this plan, please contact:
The Office of Regional Education, Skills and Jobs
GPO Box 9880
Canberra ACT 2601
Email: oresj@deewr.gov.au
ISBN:
978-0-642-78653-1 [PDF]
978-0-642-78654-8 [DOCX]
With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and where otherwise noted all material presented in this
document is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/).
The details of the relevant licence conditions (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/legalcode) are
available on the Creative Commons website (accessible using the links provided) as is the full legal code for the
CC BY 3.0 AU licence.
The document must be attributed as the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan 2012-14 – Mackay Whitsunday.
Disclaimer about data used in this plan
Data used in the development of this plan comes from a variety of sources and was correct at time of drafting. This
document should not be used as a data source as data referred to may have been updated or reformulated since
the publication of the plan. Refer to primary sources for confirmation of data.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Mackay Whitsunday 2
www.deewr.gov.au/resj
CONTENTS
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plans ................................................................................ 4
Strategies .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Community engagement........................................................................................................................... 4
Implementation ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Executive summary ................................................................................................................ 5
Characteristics of the region ................................................................................................... 7
Population ................................................................................................................................................. 7
Early childhood education and care .......................................................................................................... 7
School education ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Tertiary education and training ................................................................................................................ 9
Jobs, skills and workforce development ................................................................................................. 10
Other characteristics ............................................................................................................................... 11
Issues, goals and strategies ................................................................................................... 13
Issue 1 Adequate and affordable early childhood education and care places to meet demand and
improve childhood development results in the Mackay Whitsunday region. ........................................ 14
Issue 2 Economic participation levels of disadvantaged groups, including those with disability, youth,
the long term unemployed and Indigenous Australians. ........................................................................ 15
Issue 3 A workforce development strategy is required to meet the needs of the resources boom and
address skills shortages in other sectors as a result of people being attracted to the resources sector. ..
................................................................................................................................................. 17
Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 18
Appendix A — Stakeholders .................................................................................................................... 18
Appendix B — Existing related plans and strategies ............................................................................... 19
Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... 21
REGIONAL EDUCATION, SKILLS AND JOBS PLANS
The Australian Government announced the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plans initiative in the
2011–12 Budget, as part of the Building Australia’s Future Workforce package. The initiative addresses
four key areas of the Australian Government’s productivity and social inclusion agendas: early childhood
education and care; Year 12 attainment; participation in vocational and higher education; and local job
opportunities.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) has deployed 34 Regional
Education, Skills and Jobs (RESJ) Coordinators to work with local stakeholders to develop Regional
Education, Skills and Jobs Plans for the 46 Regional Development Australia (RDA) areas that cover nonmetropolitan Australia.
The plans present locally identified opportunities and challenges and outline local strategies to improve
education, skills and jobs outcomes in regional Australia.
For more information, including the contact details of your local RESJ Coordinator, please refer to the
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs webpage at www.deewr.gov.au/resj.
Strategies
Each plan reflects community priorities and includes goals and local strategies to achieve the
community’s objectives, based on four key themes: early childhood education and care; school
education; tertiary education and training; and jobs, skills and workforce development.
The plans build on the range of services and programs already offered by DEEWR and the strategies draw
on the programs of other government agencies and the opportunities arising from major local projects.
Community engagement
The plans were developed by RESJ Coordinators with close community engagement and include views
from young people, parents, employers, educators, service providers, peak bodies, community leaders,
government organisations and agencies, and other interested individuals and organisations. The plans
draw strongly upon existing strategic plans in each region, including the local RDA regional plan.
DEEWR acknowledges the traditional owners of the Mackay Whitsunday RDA region and their elders past
and present recognising their continuing connection to country. This plan strives to build and harness
mutually respectful relationships and reflect community priorities in education, skills and jobs
development for the region.
Implementation
The RESJ Coordinator, on behalf of DEEWR, will oversee the implementation of the strategies and
promote and coordinate linkages between the government agencies, providers and stakeholders
involved in this plan’s implementation.
Progress towards achieving the goals within each plan will be closely monitored, while stakeholders will
be kept informed through participation in plan strategies.
This edition incorporates strategies that respond to changes in local circumstances identified through
continuing community input or changing government priorities in regional Australia as well as access to
new data. The plans continue to be living and responsive documents that will be revisited throughout
their implementation to June 2014.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Mackay Whitsunday 4
www.deewr.gov.au/resj
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Mackay Whitsunday region of Queensland is covered by three Local Government Areas: Mackay
Regional Council; Whitsunday Regional Council; and Isaac Regional Council. The region is located in
Central Queensland and is a fast-growing and vibrant area. The city of Mackay is the main centre of
population and the region also encompasses the tourism destinations of Airlie Beach and the
Whitsunday Islands, fertile agricultural land around Proserpine, Sarina and Bowen, as well as the
resource-rich towns of Moranbah, Dysart, Nebo and Middlemount. Communities in all these areas were
visited and consulted as part of the formulation of the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan for the
Mackay Whitsunday RDA region.
A comprehensive environmental scan and community consultation have been carried out to identify the
key education, skills and jobs challenges for the region. The challenges include:

adequate and affordable early childhood education and care places to meet demand and
improve childhood development results in the Mackay Whitsunday region

economic participation levels of disadvantaged groups, including those with disability, youth, the
long-term unemployed and Indigenous Australians

increased accessibility of education and training facilities

workforce development to meet the needs of the resources boom and skills shortages in
industry and service sectors as a result of people being attracted to the resource sector.
The key goals of this RESJ Plan are to:

contribute to increasing the availability and flexibility of early childhood education and care and
before/after school care places to support higher adult participation in the workforce

improve coordination of services within communities to promote social inclusion of marginalised
Australians (including, but not limited to Indigenous Australians, people with disability and young
people)

improve opportunities for young people to engage in education, training and employment

create opportunities for improved service delivery of vocational education and training in the
region

work in partnership with Australian, state and local governments and communities to develop a
workforce development strategy for Central Queensland.
The region has an RDA Committee with a broad plan including education, skills and employment
opportunities. This RESJ Plan complements the existing goals and strategies in the RDA plan.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Mackay Whitsunday 5
www.deewr.gov.au/resj
Some outcomes achieved by the RESJ Coordinator working with local stakeholders include:

Improving linkages between schools and industry to encourage increased take-up of vocational
study. This has included holding a forum where three local State High Schools met with
employers participating in the Whitsunday Industrial Workforce Development Strategy which
aims to meet the expected workforce demand from the Galilee Basin and Abbot Point
development. As a result of this, Melco Engineering has placed peer support mentors in the
three high schools. In addition, current apprentices have visited the high schools to provide
students currently studying vocational engineering subjects with peer guidance and a realistic
view of employer expectations.

Facilitating a forum of local coordinators in the region to increase awareness and understanding
of the different role of local coordinators, broaden the perspectives relating to the challenges
and opportunities within the region and commit to continue formal collaboration. One of the
opportunities identified was the necessity for collaboration between employment service
providers and the local stakeholders. As a result an additional forum will be held to allow local
employment service providers to engage with the community and provide advice regarding the
various services / assistance available.

Co-facilitating the Mackay Jobs and Information Workshop for Queensland Workers which
provided 17 redundant Queensland Government employees with an overview of the recruitment
industry and local labour market, services and benefits available from the Department of Human
Services and professional recruitment advice from the local Jobs Services Australia provider.

Promoting the National Workforce Development Fund (NWDF) to an economic development and
marketing agency in the Whitsunday region which resulted in 15 business owners and managers
completing a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. This will support the region’s business
growth, enhance service levels, equip managers to train and support other staff and develop a
training culture within the organisation.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE REGION
This section sets out the characteristics of the region identified through a comprehensive environmental
scan and local consultations. The information detailed in this section is not exhaustive of the
characteristics of the region, but provides an overview and insight to some of the challenges facing the
region.
To guide the RESJ Coordinator’s identification of issues and engagement with the community, various
data sets have supported the development of this plan. Data used in the development of this plan was
sourced from DEEWR, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and other relevant sources. Data referred to
may have been reformulated and was correct at time of drafting. Different data sets are refreshed at
different intervals, for example, unemployment rates are updated monthly for national and
state/territory figures and quarterly for regions.
Population
The Mackay Whitsunday region is located in Central Queensland and includes the popular tourist
destinations of the Whitsunday island group; the city of Mackay; the agricultural areas surrounding
Bowen, Proserpine and Sarina as well as the resource-rich Isaac Shire. It covers 5.2 per cent of
Queensland.
At the time of the 2011 Census, 4.1 per cent of the population in the region identified as being of
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin and 11.9 per cent stated that they were born overseas.
The Queensland Office of Economic and Statistical Research’s population estimates calculated in 2010
show that the region’s population is growing. In 2011 the estimated resident population was 171,297
people; projected to reach 279,818 in 2031. The growth rate for the region was 1.1 per cent between
30 June 2010 and 30 June 2011. Growth in Mackay was 1.5 per cent, accounting for 77.4 per cent of all
growth in the region. The Whitsunday region had 0.7 per cent growth and the fastest-growing Local
Government Area (LGA) was Isaac with 1.9 per cent. Overall growth for Queensland during the same
period was also 1.1 per cent. At June 2011, the median age was 35.8 years in Mackay, 37.6 years in
Whitsunday and 31.5 years in Isaac.
Early childhood education and care
The Australian Early Development Index (AEDI) measures young children’s development across five
domains: physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, school-based language
and cognitive skills, and general knowledge. 2009 AEDI data indicated at a national level, 23.6 per cent of
children were vulnerable on one or more domain and 11.8 per cent were vulnerable on two or more
domains. The AEDI found the communities of Belyando, Broadsound, Mirani and Nebo had the lowest
proportions of vulnerable children for the region, less than the national rates on both measures.
However, the AEDI communities of Bowen, Mackay and Whitsunday had the highest proportions of
vulnerable children—more than the national averages on at least two of the domains.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Mackay Whitsunday 7
www.deewr.gov.au/resj
According to the Department of Education, Training and Employment (Qld) the Mackay Whitsunday
region has 63 providers of early childhood education and child care, and 10 providers of school-age care,
indicating a need to increase providers in this area to meet demand and increase assistance to people
with primary-school aged children who participate in the workforce. Early childhood education and care
providers in the area may benefit from access to DEEWR Recognition of Prior Learning Assessment Tools
and Grants to up-skill their existing staff, thus increasing the number of qualified staff in the region.
School education
The Mackay Whitsunday region is generally well serviced by schools, with 71.5 per cent of students
attending government schools and 28.5 per cent attending private educational facilities, according to the
2011 Census. This comprised 15,373 primary school students and 9308 high school students, indicating
that demand for high school education will increase over the coming years.
The 2011 Census found that 46.7 per cent of people residing in the region had completed Year 11 or 12
(or equivalent), compared to 55.3 per cent for the whole of Queensland. This indicates there may be
opportunities to improve the retention of students in senior secondary schooling and to increase access
to Certificate II level and above vocational training.
The Smarter Schools National Partnership Agreement on Low Socio-economic Status School Communities
aims to transform the way schooling takes place in participating schools and addresses the complex
challenges facing students in disadvantaged communities. This is a joint initiative between the Australian
Government, the Queensland Department of Education, the Catholic Education Office and the
Association of Independent Schools of Queensland.
Participating schools in Mackay Whitsunday are Bowen State High School, Collinsville State High School,
St John Bosco’s School, and St Mary’s School. These schools are funded to explore innovative measures
to improve learning outcomes for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Central to these activities
are partnerships with parents, other schools and businesses.
The Australian Government is providing $243.9 million for the new Smarter Schools National Partnership
on Improving Literacy and Numeracy (ILNNP) to support participating schools during the 2013 school
year. The ILNNP aims to improve the outcomes of students, including students from disadvantaged
backgrounds and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, who are falling behind in literacy and
numeracy. It will sustain the momentum of the initial Literacy Numeracy National Partnership (which
concluded in December 2012) and support states and territories to expand the implementation of
proven effective literacy and numeracy strategies in schools where under-performance persists.
Participating schools are being finalised with state/territory and non-government education authorities.
The new ILNNP will also support the ongoing expansion of the Teach Learn Share Evidence Base, which is
becoming a valuable online repository, providing a national platform for educators to share their
effective approaches to literacy and numeracy teaching and learning.
Tertiary education and training
The main provider of tertiary vocational education in the region is the Central Queensland Institute of
TAFE (CQ TAFE). CQ TAFE has a large campus in Mackay and a campus in Moranbah. The campuses offer
a range of courses and have facilities such as construction and engineering workshops, training
restaurants and hairdressing salons. There are providers who specialise in specific training for the
resources sector.
Central Queensland University (CQUniversity) has a campus in Mackay that offers degree and
postgraduate qualifications across the faculties of built environment and design; business, accounting
and law; education; engineering, mining and technology; health and medical sciences; humanities,
psychology and social work; multimedia and IT; music and theatre; and science and environment.
Mackay is also home to a CQUniversity program that focuses on the resource sector, Mining Careers
Mackay. The university offers a mix of on-campus and distance education options for study.
Table 1 shows that across the Mackay Whitsunday region, the attainment of certificate level
qualifications is markedly higher than the Queensland average. Conversely, there is scope to improve the
proportion of residents with advanced diploma, diploma or bachelor degree qualifications. Labour
market trends show that there will be increasing demand for workers with tertiary level qualifications in
the medium to long term (DEEWR, Australian Jobs 2012) so there is an opportunity to use the
Australian Government Skills Connect initiative to encourage employers to up-skill their existing
workforce to meet future industry needs.
Table 1: Post-school qualifications by level of education and Local Government Area (% of
population)
Bachelor degree or
higher
Advanced diploma
or diploma
Certificate
Isaac
10.3
4.8
25.2
Mackay
9.3
5.5
24.9
Whitsunday
7.8
6.2
23.4
Mackay Whitsunday Region
9.1
5.5
24.7
Queensland
15.9
7.5
19.9
Local Government Area
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 20011 Census data.
A proposal to merge CQUniversity and CQ TAFE to become a dual-sector provider of education pathways
has recently been approved. This will make it easier for students to attain degrees and postgraduate
qualifications in the region. The rollout of the National Broadband Network may provide residents of the
Whitsunday area with better access to tertiary education through video streaming technology.
Jobs, skills and workforce development
DEEWR data indicates that the unemployment rate for the Mackay Whitsunday region was 3.5 per cent
at September 2012, a decrease of 0.8 percentage points from the previous year. The comparative figures
for Queensland as a whole were 6.3 per cent unemployment rate and 1.0 percentage point rise from the
previous year, indicating that while the state is losing some ground, economic activity in Central
Queensland is still strong due to the effects of the resources boom. However, the region is quite diverse
and unemployment rates vary considerably as illustrated in Table 2.
Table 2: Unemployment rates in the Mackay Whitsunday region
Local Statistical Area
Unemployment rate (%)
Belyando
1.1
Bowen
6.4
Broadsound
1.1
Sarina
4.4
Mackay Pt A
3.3
Mirani
3.5
Mackay Pt B
3.2
Nebo
0.7
Whitsunday
5.1
Source: DEEWR, Small Area Labour Markets, September Quarter, 2012.
The generally positive headline figures reflect the ongoing demand and strength of the resource sector,
particularly evident in Nebo with its very low unemployment rate. This area contains the mining towns of
Moranbah, Dysart and Middlemount, the epicentre of the Bowen Basin coal mining boom. Areas such as
Bowen and Sarina, that have traditionally been more reliant on the agricultural sector (sugar cane and
various small crops), have much higher rates of unemployment. This is due to the slowdown of the sector
partly as a result of low commodity prices for sugar and because the high Australian dollar is affecting
export markets.
Over 19 per cent of job seekers in the region have been unemployed for more than 36 months, lower
than the regional Queensland rate of 25.9 per cent but higher than the Brisbane rate of 18.2 per cent
(DEEWR, Employment Services Area Data, December 2012). These job seekers require more support to
gain skills and employment, although the high demand for labour presents significant opportunities to
transition job seekers into sustainable jobs.
Skills shortages mentioned in DEEWR’s Skills Shortage List Queensland 2011-2012 include:

child care professionals (managers, child care workers, early childhood education teachers)

hospitality trades (chefs, butchers, bakers, pastry-cooks)

earth science professionals (geologists, mining engineers)

trades and occupations associated with the resource industry and civil construction (metal
tradespersons, machinery operators, truck drivers, electricians)

domestic construction trades workers (painters, plumbers, tilers, glaziers)

health workers (personal care attendants, nurses, dental technicians, allied health professionals).
The Mackay Whitsunday region has been traditionally associated with agriculture (sugar cane and small
crops) and tourism in the Whitsunday area. Poor commodity prices, a high Australian dollar and a
succession of natural disasters however, have put these sectors into relative decline, particularly in
comparison to the booming resource sector located in the Bowen Basin. The top five employing
industries in the Mackay-Fitzroy-Central West Labour Force Region as shown in the DEEWR Labour Force
Region Employment by Industry November 2012 are now:

construction

retail trade

mining

health care and social assistance

transport, postal and warehousing.
Following the Queensland Government’s decision in July 2012 to cease funding for labour market
programs, a number of strategies in this plan have been amended to remove reliance on partnering or
leveraging those former programs.
Other characteristics
The Mackay Whitsunday region is vibrant and growing, with a vigorous retail sector in the city of Mackay.
The last few years however, have seen flooding and two cyclones devastate the area. Repairs to
businesses and infrastructure in Proserpine and two of the Whitsunday island resorts that were
completely destroyed are still underway. The impact of more recent extreme weather in January 2013 is
yet to be assessed, but is likely to necessitate further infrastructure repair in the region.
While it seems as though Bowen is lagging behind other areas in terms of economic development and
growth, it has pockets of opportunity and has been Queensland’s largest producer of tomatoes for the
domestic market since growers in the Bundaberg area experienced difficulties due to severe flooding in
early 2010.
Future coal mining projects planned for the Galilee Basin will mean the construction of a new rail line to
Abbot Point. The Abbot Point port facilities are in the planning stage of a major upgrade, with both short
term construction jobs and several hundred long term operational jobs.
While the resources boom has created economic growth and opportunities within the Mackay
Whitsunday region, people have raised concerns about the effect on infrastructure, social cohesion and
the availability and cost of accommodation. With employment by resource companies creating higher
demand for housing and placing upward pressure on rents and real estate prices, low-paid workers are
finding it more difficult to remain within some areas, resulting in local skills shortages.
Most of the resource sector activity in the region is currently taking place in the west, surrounding the
towns of Moranbah, Dysart and Middlemount. Coal is transported via rail to the ports at Hay Point,
Dalrymple Bay and Abbot Point. These areas are hosting a large number of transient Fly-In Fly-Out and
Drive-In Drive-Out workers, which has caused difficulties in towns experiencing high accommodation
costs and strain on local infrastructure. Schools and other facilities are finding it very hard to recruit
ground staff and cleaners as they cannot compete with the high wages offered by the resource sector. It
is also difficult to recruit and train trade teachers because of competition with the resource sector.
The Whitsunday islands and Airlie Beach areas have been traditional tourist destinations, although the
recent natural disasters and high Australian dollar have seen a decline in tourist numbers and therefore a
weakening of the local tourism industry. This creates opportunities for trained hospitality staff to move
into jobs supporting the temporary mining accommodation facilities, should proposed expansions to
Galilee Basin resource projects go ahead. Local communities however are raising environmental
concerns, particularly regarding the impact on the Great Barrier Reef of a ramped-up program of
dredging in Gladstone Harbour, Dalrymple Bay, Abbot Point and off the coast of Townsville, and the
effect this may have on the future sustainability of the tourism and fishing industries.
The National Resources Sector Workforce Strategy makes a number of recommendations to address the
challenges faced by regions such as Mackay Whitsunday which are experiencing the effects of a twospeed economy due to the resource sector boom. This RESJ Plan will engage local stakeholders and
communities in:

workforce planning and sharing of information

increasing the number of trade professionals

graduating more engineers and geoscientists

strengthening workforce participation

forging stronger ties between industry and education providers.
ISSUES, GOALS AND STRATEGIES
This section sets out the issues and goals identified through local consultation. It also details the specific
strategies that will help achieve the community’s objectives. The issues and strategies will be reviewed
and may be modified throughout the implementation of the plan to June 2014 to ensure they respond to
emerging issues and opportunities or changing community or government priorities in the Mackay
Whitsunday RDA region.
The programs and stakeholders listed in the following tables are indicative only. Both may vary over time
and any listing does not guarantee either the availability of program funding or stakeholder involvement.
The four key themes of the Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plans initiative are:

Early childhood education and care

School education

Tertiary education and training

Jobs, skills and workforce development
The numbering of each issue is for ease of reference only and does not indicate its priority within the
region. They are generally sequenced according to the life cycle of the four key themes listed above.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Mackay Whitsunday 13
www.deewr.gov.au/resj
Issue 1
Adequate and affordable early childhood education and care
places to meet demand and improve childhood development
results in the Mackay Whitsunday region.
Goal:
Established workforce planning and delivery analysis mechanisms in the region
which contribute to improved access to preschool programs by universityqualified early childhood education teachers.
Theme(s):
Early childhood education and care; School education; Tertiary education and
training; Jobs, skills and workforce development.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs





Encourage the inclusion of early childhood
education and care qualifications in workforce
development planning to address current and
projected skills shortages in the sector (including
creation of articulated learning pathways to up-skill
existing staff and encourage new entrants).
Promote DEEWR Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Assessment Tools and Grants to child care services
and existing workers.
Promote Australian Government Skills Connect
programs to the early childhood sector at the
Health and Community Services Workforce
Council’s workshop.









Australian
Apprenticeship
Centres
Community Services
and Health Industry
Skills Council
CQ TAFE
CQUniversity
Department of
Education, Training
and Employment
(Qld)
Early childhood
education and care
providers
Health and
Community Services
Workforce Council
Parents
Registered training
organisations
Young people









Australian
Apprenticeships
Australian
Government Skills
Connect
Child Care Benefit
Child Care Rebate
Early Childhood
Teacher Scholarships
HECS-HELP
Inclusion and
Professional Support
Program
Queensland
Kindergarten Funding
Scheme
RPL Assessment Tools
and Grants
TAFE Fee Waiver
Goal:
Increase availability and flexibility of child care and before/after school care
places to support higher adult participation in the workforce.
Theme(s):
Early childhood education and care; School education; Jobs, skills and workforce
development.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs





Identify gaps in servicing and bring together
stakeholders to create solutions. For example, the
RESJ Coordinator will meet with the community and
attend meetings with DEEWR early childhood
education and care experts to formulate solutions,
especially addressing out of hours school-based
care.



Early childhood
education and care
providers
Education Queensland
Parents
Young people

Child Care Benefit
Child Care Rebate
Early Childhood
Teacher Scholarships
Queensland
Kindergarten Funding
Scheme
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Mackay Whitsunday 14
www.deewr.gov.au/resj
Issue 2
Economic participation levels of disadvantaged groups,
including those with disability, youth, the long term
unemployed and Indigenous Australians.
Goal:
Improved coordination of services within communities to promote social
inclusion of marginalised Australians, including (but not limited to) Indigenous
Australians, people with disability and young people.
Theme(s):
School education; Tertiary education and training; Jobs, skills and workforce
development.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs






Create better pathways from secondary education
to vocational or higher education through increased
coordination of service delivery between state and
Australian government funded programs and
providers by facilitating and attending regular
meetings with providers and government
representatives.
Negotiate targeted, place-based solutions for
disadvantaged areas such as Sarina, Proserpine and
Bowen by liaising with communities and
government agencies to identify potential funding
for initiatives, including partnering with the
Regional Indigenous Employment Program to
identify programs, funding and strategies to access
education and employment pathways.
Regularly attend inter-agency and Disability
Employment Services (DES) and Job Services
Australia (JSA) provider meetings to provide labour
market advice and improve better coordination of
effort.
Collaborate with industry networks and regional
development organisations to educate employers
about the advantages of diversity in their
workplaces.










Australian
Apprenticeships
Centres
Department of
Education, Training
and Employment
(Qld)
Department of
Families, Housing,
Community Services
and Indigenous Affairs
(Townsville
Indigenous
Coordination Centre)
DES providers
Indigenous
Employment Program
(IEP) panel members
Indigenous
organisations and
communities
JSA providers
Mackay Training
Advisory Network
Registered training
organisations
Secondary schools
Wiri Traditional
Owners












Australian
Government Skills
Connect
DES
Doorways 2
Construction
IEP
Indigenous Youth
Mobility Program
JSA
Parental and
Community
Engagement Program
School Business
Community
Partnership Brokers
Skills for Education
and Employment
(SEE), formerly known
as the Language,
Literacy and
Numeracy Program
Trade Training
Centres in Schools
User Choice
Workplace English,
Language and Literacy
Youth Connections
Goal:
Improved opportunities for young people to transition into employment or
further education and training.
Theme(s):
School education; Tertiary education and training; Jobs, skills and workforce
development.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs


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
Effectively track outcomes of Year 12 school leavers
by meeting regularly with Education Queensland
regarding their ‘Year 13’ strategies.
Meet regularly with representatives of group
training organisations and Australian
Apprenticeships Centres to ensure coordination of
services and improved engagement between
schools and industry.
Strengthen relationships between schools and
industry by visiting Trade Training Centres (TTCs)
and providing labour market and industry advice
and connections.
Support and promote the opportunities that arise
from the proposed merger of the Central
Queensland Institute of TAFE and CQUniversity to
become a dual-sector university for communities
and employers.
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


Australian
Apprenticeships
Centres
CQ TAFE
CQUniversity
Education Queensland
Group training
organisations
School Business
Community
Partnership Broker
Students
TTCs



Indigenous Youth
Mobility Program
School Business
Community
Partnership Brokers
Trade Training
Centres in Schools
Youth Connections
Goal:
Improved accessibility and delivery of vocational and tertiary education services
across the Mackay Whitsunday region.
Theme(s):
School education; Tertiary education and training; Jobs, skills and workforce
development.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs







Encourage and support education providers to
maximise opportunities emerging with the National
Broadband Network (NBN) rollout to better service
regional and rural communities.
Explore potential efficiencies in service delivery
models through access to a larger number of
education venues attached to the dual-sector
university and assist CQUniversity in its community
engagement program through attendance at
meetings with university staff and stakeholders.
Collaborate with Primary Industries Education
Foundation to promote the delivery of agricultural
education in schools in rural and regional areas and
provide links to the primezone.com.au website for
educational resources.


CQ TAFE
CQUniversity
Department of
Broadband,
Communications and
the Digital Economy
NBNCo
Primary Industries
Education Foundation
Primezone
Educational Resources
Issue 3
A workforce development strategy is required to meet the
needs of the resources boom and address skills shortages in
other sectors as a result of people being attracted to the
resources sector.
Goal:
A workforce development strategy for Central Queensland.
Theme(s):
Tertiary education and training; Jobs, skills and workforce development.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs







Promote collaborative responses to skills shortages
by developing coordinated approaches to funding
local initiatives through regular consultation with,
the Indigenous Coordination Centre Manager,
communities, providers and industry.
Attend local industry forums and work with regional
development organisations to promote the
National Resources Sector Workforce Strategy and
Australian Government Skills Connect to employers
and industry, emphasising the benefits of providing
training to both existing and new employees.
Attend quarterly meetings of the local Education
and Training Network to promote vocational
education and training reform to industry and
communities.
Engage with the Whitsunday Industrial Workforce
Development project to plan workforce
development for the proposed Abbot Point
upgrade, providing advice and guidance on
available assistance through Australian Government
Skills Connect.
Work with Whitsundays Marketing and
Development Ltd to identify strategies to address
skills shortages in the tourism/hospitality and
agriculture sectors.
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
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




Australian
Apprenticeships
Centres
CQUniversity
Department of
Education, Training
and Employment
(Qld)
Department of
Industry, Innovation,
Climate Change,
Science, Research and
Tertiary Education
Disability Employment
Services (DES)
providers
Employers and
industry
Group training
organisations
Industry skills councils
Job Services Australia
(JSA) providers
Mackay Area Industry
Network Cooperative
Mackay Whitsunday
Regional Economic
Development
Corporation
Registered training
organisations
Whitsunday
Marketing and
Development Ltd






Australian
Government Skills
Connect
DES
Disabled Apprentice
Wage Support
Program
Education Investment
Fund
JSA
Recognition of Prior
Learning
Support for Adult
Australian
Apprenticeships
APPENDICES
Appendix A — Stakeholders
Below is a list of organisations consulted during the development of this RESJ Plan, listed by sector.
Sector
Stakeholder
State government
Department of Education, Training and Employment; Department of State
Development, Infrastructure and Planning.
Australian Government
Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Townsville Indigenous Coordination Centre; Department of Human Services;
Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and
Tertiary Education.
Education
Training Queensland.
Vocational Education and
Training
Busy at Work; Conservation Volunteers Australia; Central Queensland Institute
of TAFE; Mackay Regional Apprentice Employment Ltd; Mackay Training
Advisory Network.
Higher education
CQUniversity.
Youth
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland (YouthInvest); Community
Solutions.
Employment
NEATO Employment Services; Regional Indigenous Employment Program; BEST
Employment.
Indigenous organisations
Girudala Community Cooperative Society.
Regional development
Whitsunday Marketing and Development Ltd; Mackay Area Industry Network
Cooperative; Mackay Regional Social Development Centre; Mackay Whitsunday
Regional Economic Development Corporation; RDA Mackay Whitsunday.
Industry
Construction Skills Queensland; ForestWorks Queensland; Mackay Tourism;
Retail Connect Mackay; Service Skills Australia; Queensland Tourism Industry
Council; Melco Engineering; Adani; North Queensland Bulk Ports; Primary
Industries Education Foundation; Health and Community Services Workforce
Council; Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council; Agrifoods.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Mackay Whitsunday 18
www.deewr.gov.au/resj
Appendix B — Existing related plans and strategies
This section includes some of the related strategic plans in the region which have:

influenced the direction of this RESJ Plan

have complementary goals and strategies and/or

have significance in the region in relation to education, skills and jobs.
It provides an overview of how each strategy or plan has had an impact on this RESJ Plan and how it may
be utilised to maximise outcomes.
How it can be
used/linked/expanded
Plan or strategy
Impact on RESJ Plan
Regional Development Australia
(RDA) Mackay Whitsunday
Regional Roadmap
The Regional Roadmap gives a
comprehensive overview of the
challenges and opportunities
existing in the Mackay Whitsunday
region as well as an indication of
community aspirations.
This RESJ Plan is consistent with
the direction of the RDA Regional
Roadmap for the Mackay
Whitsunday region. The RESJ
Coordinator will take guidance
from the RDA in developing
strategies and approaches to
communities.
Whitsunday Industrial Workforce
Development (WIWD) Project
This strategy is an important first
step in meeting the workforce
development challenges expected
to occur if coal mining expands
into the Galilee Basin, with
subsequent development of a rail
line and upgrades to Abbot Point
port facility.
WIWD requires assistance from
government skilling strategies to
fund some of its initiatives and
would benefit from connection
with Australian Government Skills
Connect and better linkages with
local employment services
providers.
Mining Careers Mackay
The strategy is intended to
mitigate high-level skills shortages
in engineering and earth sciences
by directly targeting industry to
gain commitment to support and
employ students.
The strategy will fit within the
overall workforce development
strategy for the Mackay
Whitsunday region being
developed as part of this RESJ Plan.
Retail Connect Mackay
The retail sector has grown in
Mackay due to increased demand
from higher economic activity
associated with the resource
sector, and is experiencing skills
shortages. This project has
identified Mackay’s ‘hidden
workforce’ and provided training
pathways into retail employment.
This project meets the need for
retail training in Mackay. The
model could be replicated for the
tourism and hospitality sectors to
mitigate their skills shortages.
Health and Community Services
Workforce Council Mackay Region
Workforce Issues Paper (August
2011)
This paper clearly sets out the
workforce challenges facing the
health and community services
sector and makes suggestions for
mitigating strategies.
This RESJ Plan uses this paper to
inform strategies to address
workforce development issues, in
partnership with CQ University.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Mackay Whitsunday 19
www.deewr.gov.au/resj
Plan or strategy
Impact on RESJ Plan
National Resource Sector
Workforce Strategy
The relevant recommendations
from the National Resource Sector
Employment Taskforce include:
 increase the number of trade
professionals
 strengthen workforce
participation
 forge stronger ties between
industry and education.
How it can be
used/linked/expanded
Connecting job seekers and out of
trade apprentices to opportunities
in the resource sector, including
connecting to employers, relevant
training and Fly-In Fly-Out
connections.
ABBREVIATIONS
Abbreviation
Full Term
AEDI
Australian Early Development Index
CQ TAFE
Central Queensland Institute of TAFE
CQUniversity
CQ University Australia
DEEWR
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
DES
Disability Employment Services
DETE
Department of Education, Training and Employment (Qld)
IEP
Indigenous Employment Program
ILNNP
National Partnership on Improving Literacy and Numeracy
JSA
Job Services Australia
RDA
Regional Development Australia
RESJ
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs
RPL
Recognition of Prior Learning
SEE
Skills for Education and Employment
TTC
Trade Training Centre
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Mackay Whitsunday 21
www.deewr.gov.au/resj