REGIONAL EDUCATION, SKILLS AND JOBS
PLAN
QUEENSLAND – SUNSHINE COAST
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:
978-0-642-78655-5 [PDF]
978-0-642-78656-2 [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 – Sunshine Coast.
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 – Sunshine Coast 2
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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 .......................................................................................................... 8
School education ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Tertiary education and training ................................................................................................................ 9
Jobs, skills and workforce development ................................................................................................... 9
Other characteristics ............................................................................................................................... 10
Issues, goals and strategies ................................................................................................... 11
Issue 1 Availability of suitably qualified staff to work in the aged care and early childhood education
and child care services within the region................................................................................................ 12
Issue 2 Supporting and improving the education outcomes of students, particularly those from a low
socio-economic background. .................................................................................................................. 13
Issue 3
Low proportion of people with tertiary qualifications. ........................................................... 14
Issue 4 The region has pockets of disadvantage with lower than average labour force participation
and relatively high levels of unemployment. .......................................................................................... 15
Issue 5 Meeting the workforce and skills demand for planned infrastructure projects including those
identified across the Queensland resources sector. ............................................................................... 16
Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 17
Appendix A — Stakeholders .................................................................................................................... 17
Appendix B — Existing related plans and strategies ............................................................................... 18
Abbreviations ....................................................................................................................... 19
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 3
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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 Sunshine Coast 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 – Sunshine Coast 4
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Sunshine Coast Regional Development Australia (RDA) region covers an area of 3127 square
kilometres and lies within the larger South East Queensland region. A single Local Government Area,
Sunshine Coast Regional Council, covers the entire area. The area can be broken into three subregions,
Caloundra, Maroochy and Noosa.
While considered part of the South East Queensland region for planning purposes, the Sunshine Coast
region maintains a unique regional identity based on its coastal lifestyle. The region is bounded by
Gympie Regional Council to the north, Moreton Bay Regional Council to the south and the Blackall
Ranges to the west. The DEEWR Employment Service Area of Sunshine Coast covers the region.
A reliance on major industries that can be unpredictable, such as tourism and construction, means that
the Sunshine Coast region tends to be exposed to economic fluctuations.
Consequently, through a number of distinct and separate collaboration and consultation activities
undertaken over the past 12 months with a variety of organisations including the business community ,
all three levels of government, education /research providers and community groups, the RDA Sunshine
Coast has developed four priority areas:

nurture high potential economic development sectors;

advocate for the delivery of infrastructure;

advance business and society through technology;

workforce and employment.
The Sunshine Coast RDA region forms part of the Caboolture-Sunshine Coast priority employment area.
A Local Employment Coordinator has developed a Regional Employment Plan that sets out key goals and
strategies for the priority employment area.
This RESJ Plan supports and complements both the RDA Regional Roadmap and the Local Employment
Coordinator’s Regional Employment Plan.
A comprehensive environmental scan and community consultation were carried out to identify the key
education, skills and jobs challenges for the region. The challenges include:

availability of suitable, quality childhood education and child care places across the region

education outcomes of students, particularly those from low socio-economic backgrounds

low proportion of people with tertiary qualifications

pockets of disadvantage with lower than average labour force participation and relatively high
levels of unemployment

effective workforce planning to support and develop the regional economy, particularly
responding to planned major infrastructure projects and Queensland’s expanding resources
sector.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 5
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The key goals of the RESJ Plan are to:

support the development of the region’s child care workforce to meet the National Partnership
Agreement on Early Childhood Education including the professional development necessary to
meet the National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care

improve education outcomes for students, particularly those from a low socio-economic
background and for vulnerable groups including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
and special needs students

promote strategies to increase tertiary education enrolments

support the development of, and planning for, workforce needs associated with growth
industries in the region, particularly in relation to planned major infrastructure projects

identify and support strategies to assist Sunshine Coast businesses and residents capitalise on
opportunities emerging from Queensland’s resources sector

improve knowledge of government education, skills and jobs programs and services amongst
relevant service providers, businesses and stakeholders in the Sunshine Coast region, and assist
them to work collaboratively in addressing the region’s social and economic development needs.
Some outcomes achieved by the RESJ Coordinator working with local stakeholders include:

Effectively engaged with the region’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to develop
and support local training and employment projects. These projects include:
o
The Trade Start training program, developed in conjunction with Construction Skills
Queensland (CSQ) and Construction Skills Training Centre (CSTC), providing construction
based training to 40 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers on the Sunshine
Coast to prepare them for jobs in the resources sector across Queensland, including the
Surat, Bowen and Galilee Basins. The program commenced in December 2012, and has
supported 13 job seekers into training as at April 2013. Negotiations have commenced
with industry peak bodies and employers to link participants to jobs within the sector.
o
Liaised with Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs
and Quest College to identify suitable Indigenous job seekers to be selected to enter the
BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance / Indigenous traineeship initiative providing up to
80 Indigenous traineeship placements in the resources sector.

Co-facilitating the Sunshine Coast Jobs and Information Workshop for retrenched Queensland
Government workers and affected organisations, providing 45 people with information about
the local labour market, assistance available from the Department of Human Services and
professional recruitment advice from a local Job Services Australia (JSA) provider.

Hosting an Early Childhood Education and Care Industry Roundtable event in June 2012 to build
relationships between local early childhood education and care providers and other related
stakeholders, such as JSA providers, Disability Employment Services providers and registered
training organisations with a view to attracting more educators into the sector and up-skilling
existing workers. The Roundtable attracted 46 attendees from across the region, and more than
95 per cent indicated that it was a valuable event.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 6
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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
At the time of the 2011 Census, the Sunshine Coast region had a population of 316,858, representing
7.1 per cent of the Queensland population. Over the period 2006-2011, the region experienced a growth
rate of 1.4 per cent, lower than the state growth rate of 1.8 per cent. According to the Office of
Economic and Statistical Research (OESR), the growth rate for the 20 years to 2031 is expected to be
2.1 per cent per annum, higher than the predicted Queensland growth rate of 1.8 per cent per annum.
This sustained high growth rate within the region presents both challenges and opportunities.
The majority of the population live in the urban coastal strip with the remainder living in smaller
population centres such as Nambour, Palmwoods, Landsborough and Cooroy, hinterland townships such
as Peachester and Kenilworth and rural localities.
With population pressure increasing from the greater Brisbane area, a 2310 hectare area of land at
Caloundra South has been designated as an Urban Development Area with potential to house a
projected population of approximately 50,000 people.
The median age of the region’s population is 42.0 years, significantly higher than the Queensland median
age of 36.6 years and the Australian median of 37.3. With 17.9 per cent of the population aged over
65 years, the age profile reflects the Sunshine Coast’s position as a retirement location of choice.
The Sunshine Coast Regional Roadmap, 2012-31 notes that in the two decades to 2026, the number of
people over the age of 65 is predicted to more than double (from 47,554 to 100,774), while the number
of people over the age of 85 is likely to almost treble. The Roadmap notes that the ageing population has
many implications including increased expenditure associated with income support, and adequate
provision of health, family and community care services.
A significant number of the region’s young people leave to take up education and employment
opportunities closer to Brisbane. The age profile of the region shows fewer young (15 to 25 year old) and
prime working age (25 to 44 year old) people than the state averages. The workforce is also affected by
the significant number of workers who commute daily outside the region to neighbouring locations such
as Brisbane and Gympie.
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The Sunshine Coast region has a proud Aboriginal history. At the time of the 2011 Census, 1.5 per cent of
the population identified as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, lower than the corresponding
figure for Queensland of 3.6 per cent.
Data from the 2011 Census, based on place of usual residence, indicates that across the Sunshine Coast
region, 60,773 people were born overseas (19.8% of the total population). This is slightly lower than the
Queensland rate of 20.5 per cent.
Early childhood education and care
The National Early Childhood Development Strategy aims to improve outcomes for children and their
families. 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 that, at a national level,
23.6 per cent of children were vulnerable on one or more domains and 11.8 per cent were vulnerable on
two or more domains. The AEDI found that the community of Maroochy had the lowest proportion of
vulnerable children for the region. However, all communities in the region demonstrated vulnerability
rates slightly higher than the national averages.
The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care aims to raise quality and drive
continuous improvement and consistency in childhood education and care services. This should have a
positive influence on the AEDI results in the region over time.
School education
The Sunshine Coast region has many schools across all education sectors offering parents significant
choice in education options. Schooling results are comparable with those of Queensland as a whole with
54.8 per cent of the population over 15 years having completed Year 11 or 12 (55.3% for
Queensland).Two of the region’s state high schools, Meridan State College and Nambour State High
School, are participating in the Queensland Government’s Year 7 pilot program from 2013. This reform
will see Year 7 become the first year of secondary school across Queensland from 2015.
A challenge for the region has been to provide adequate educational facilities to cope with the increase
in student numbers associated with sustained population growth. In addition to new public schools, a
number of independent schools have been established in the region.
Trade Training Centres have been established in the Caloundra cluster and Maroochydore cluster to
increase the vocational training opportunities for students.
The Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment’s 2012 Next Step Survey for the
Sunshine Coast indicates that at the time of the survey 88.8 per cent of Year 12 completers were
studying or in paid employment in the year after leaving school. It also indicated that 55.6 per cent of
Year 12 completers were continuing with some recognised form of education or training after leaving
school and that 35 per cent of Year 12 completers were undertaking a tertiary degree, compared to
38.4 per cent for Queensland, an increase on numbers for 2011. The University of the Sunshine Coast
attracted the highest number of students from the region (484) followed by the University of
Queensland (229) and Queensland University of Technology (176).
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 8
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Tertiary education and training
Based on place of usual residence, 2011 Census data indicate 56.0 per cent of the region’s population
aged 15 years and over held a post school qualification. The proportion for Queensland was
54.2 per cent.
The Office of Economic Statistical Research 2013 - Post School Qualification data indicates that of the
persons aged 15 years and over in the region with a qualification, 25.4 per cent had a bachelor degree or
higher (compared to 29.3% in Queensland), 16.2 per cent had an advanced diploma or diploma (13.9% in
Queensland), and 39.7 per cent had a certificate (36.6% in Queensland).
The University of the Sunshine Coast, established in 1996, is a growing facility servicing the Sunshine
Coast and adjacent regions and is being increasingly utilised by local school leavers. The university plans
to increase its enrolments to around 12,000 students by 2015. Central Queensland University has a small
but expanding campus in Noosaville, which will also increase the availability of local university places.
Both universities participate in programs to inspire primary school students to consider university
options.
The Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE services the region with four campuses at Mooloolaba,
Maroochydore, Nambour and Noosa.
The planned Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH) will have a Skills, Academic and Research Centre
associated with the hospital precinct, offering both teaching and research opportunities in the health
sector. Scheduled for completion in 2016, the hospital will partner with existing health education
institutions, including the University of the Sunshine Coast, the University of Queensland, the Sunshine
Coast Institute of TAFE and Queensland Health, to provide teaching and research facilities.
Jobs, skills and workforce development
Original Australian Bureau of Statistics Monthly Labour Force data, averaged over three months,
indicates that the unemployment rate for the Sunshine Coast Region for the December quarter 2012 was
5.8 per cent, slightly higher than the Australian unemployment rate of 5.1 per cent yet equal to the
Queensland unemployment rate.
The top three industries for employment in the Sunshine Coast region are:



health care and social assistance (13.5%)
retail (12.9%)
construction (11.1%)
The tourism sector is a significant component of the Sunshine Coast’s industry profile, attracting
international and domestic visitors as well as local day trippers. The tourism and retail sectors on the
Sunshine Coast have been affected by the downturn in tourist numbers associated with the global
financial crisis and the high Australian dollar.
A challenge for the Sunshine Coast is the proportion of the workforce commuting to employment
outside the region. It is estimated that over 5 per cent of the workforce is employed outside the region,
with the largest proportion commuting daily to Brisbane. This puts pressure on both the road and rail
transport systems between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane and results in significant travel times.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 9
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The Sunshine Coast is emerging as a significant service centre for Queensland’s expanding resources
sector and there is scope to harness opportunities such as making better use of the airport and
associated industrial land. Expansion of the Sunshine Coast Airport is seen as a high priority for the
region, not only for the increase in passenger numbers but also for the flow-on opportunities for the
whole region.
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
Meeting the infrastructure needs of a growing population is a major challenge for the region. Plans are in
place for major infrastructure projects in health (Sunshine Coast University Hospital, a private hospital
and associated health precinct), transport (rail line duplication, Bruce Highway upgrade and airport
expansion) and housing (Caloundra South Urban Development Area). There are plans in place to
undertake research into the workforce needs associated with infrastructure projects through
partnerships between the Local Employment Coordinator, RDA Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast Regional
Council and stakeholder networks.
It is expected that the Caloundra South Urban Development Area will deliver a planned community with
affordable housing options designed to ease housing stress in the region. Its location is well placed to
take advantage of employment opportunity areas associated with the Sunshine Coast University Hospital
and the University of the Sunshine Coast. The development will also provide employment opportunities
in the construction sector.
The region is well placed to take advantage of the benefits of the National Broadband Network rollout
when the Sunshine Coast is connected to the network.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 10
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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 Sunshine
Coast 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 – Sunshine Coast 11
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Issue 1
Availability of suitably qualified staff to work in the aged care
and early childhood education and child care services within the
region.
Goal:
Development of the region’s aged care and child care workforces to meet current
and future demand for services.
Theme(s):
Early childhood education and care; Tertiary education and training.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs






Promote Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
Assessment Tools and Grants to the Early Childhood
Education and Care (ECEC) sector.
Promote the Australian Government’s Early Years
Workforce Strategy to ECEC services, and engage in
workforce planning, development and assistance
with the sector.
Promote Australian Government Skills Connect
programs such as the National Workforce
Development Fund, the Workplace English
Language and Literacy Program (WELL) and the
Investing in Experience program to regional peak
bodies and providers in the health and community
services sector including the aged care and early
childhood education and care sectors.







Child care centres
Community Services
and Health Industry
Skills Council
Department of
Education, Training
and Employment Office for Early
Childhood Education
and Care (Qld)
Department of
Industry, Innovation,
Climate Change,
Science, Research and
Tertiary Education
Disability Employment
Services (DES)
providers
Health and
Community Services
Workforce Council
Job Services Australia
(JSA) providers
Registered training
organisations
TAFE







Australian
Government Skills
Connect
DES
Inclusion and
Professional Support
Program
Indigenous
Employment Program
JSA
Skills for Education
and Employment
formerly known as
Language, Literacy
and Numeracy
program
RPL Assessment Tools
and Grants
WELL
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 12
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Issue 2
Supporting and improving the education outcomes of students,
particularly those from a low socio-economic background.
Goal:
Improve education outcomes for students, particularly those from low socioeconomic backgrounds and vulnerable groups, including Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander students and special needs students.
Theme(s):
School education; Tertiary education and training.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs







In collaboration with Education Queensland,
encourage community organisations and service
providers to support local schools participating in
the Smarter Schools National Partnership for Low
Socio-economic Status School Communities.
Collaborate with Education Queensland to develop
linkages between Youth Connections and Youth
Support Coordinators at regional and community
levels to improve young people’s engagement with
education and maximise the benefit of these
programs at the school level.
Support initiatives to link industry and community
in the development and operation of Trade Training
Centres.
Work with the School Business Community
Partnership Broker supporting youth attainment
and transition in Nambour to improve parental
engagement with secondary schooling, investigate
options for funding and delivery and where possible
expand to other communities.
Promote the take up of school-based
apprenticeships and traineeships and initiatives
aimed at increasing the completion of traditional
trade qualifications.




Australian
Apprenticeships
Centres
Education Queensland
Regional Youth
Support Coordinator
School Business
Community
Partnership Brokers
Youth Connections
providers




Australian
Apprenticeships
Higher Education
Participation and
Partnerships Program
(HEPPP)
School Business
Community
Partnership Brokers
Trade Training
Centres in Schools
Youth Connections
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 13
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Issue 3
Low proportion of people with tertiary qualifications.
Goal:
Promote strategies to increase tertiary education enrolments.
Theme(s):
Tertiary education and training.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs







Continue to contribute knowledge, advice and
expertise in relation to tertiary education through
involvement in existing stakeholder groups and
networks, including school/community
partnerships.
Support efforts by universities such as the
University of the Sunshine Coast and Central
Queensland University to outreach to primary and
secondary schools to increase awareness of tertiary
options.
Support careers expos in the region through
existing partnerships.
Promote tertiary preparation programs and
articulation mechanisms to local high schools and
Job Services Australia (JSA) and Disability
Employment Services (DES) providers.
Promote the availability of financial support to
students and families of young people who leave
home to undertake tertiary study.








Central Queensland
University
Department of
Education, Training
and Employment
(Qld)
DES providers
High school
representatives
JSA providers
School Business
Community
Partnership Broker
Sunshine Coast
Institute of TAFE
Sunshine Coast Youth
Partnership
University of the
Sunshine Coast
Higher Education
Participation and
Partnerships Program
(HEPPP)
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 14
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Issue 4
The region has pockets of disadvantage with lower than
average labour force participation and relatively high levels of
unemployment.
Goal:
Improve knowledge of government education, skills and jobs programs and
services amongst relevant service providers, businesses and stakeholders and
assist them to work collaboratively to address the region’s social and
employment needs.
Theme(s):
Tertiary education and training; Jobs, skills and workforce development.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs











Support the Local Employment Coordinator (LEC)
and Department of Human Services (DHS) in
promoting and delivering local Jobs and Skills Expos
in 2013.
Promote Australian Government Skills Connect
programs to stakeholders through one-on-one
meetings, participation at forums and through
dissemination of resources.
Explore opportunities for employment projects to
assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
through engagement with local employers and Job
Services Australia (JSA) providers.
Support the development of flexible and accessible
training, utilising:
o Skills for Education and Employment (SEE)
(formerly the Language, Literacy and Numeracy
Program)
o the Workplace English Language and Literacy
(WELL) program.
Promote apprenticeship programs to industry,
employer groups, employment service providers,
youth service providers and schools.
Support the DHS Local Connections to Work
initiative in Maroochydore through participation in
advisory groups.
Build community capacity by supporting better
linkages through interagency networks and
providing timely and relevant information on the
range of Australian Government programs and
initiatives.
Promote local initiatives aimed at increasing
participation amongst those from disadvantaged
groups, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people, young parents, jobless families and
people with disability.
Investigate and promote collaborative practices to
address persistent indicators of social exclusion
experienced in the region.













Australian
Apprenticeships
Centres
Community
organisations
Department of
Industry, Innovation,
Climate Change,
Science, Research and
Tertiary Education
Department of
Education, Training
and Employment
(Qld)
DHS (Centrelink)
Disability Employment
Services (DES)
providers
Group training
organisations
IEP panel members
Industry Skills
Councils
Job Services Australia
(JSA) providers
LEC
SEE providers
Registered training
organisations
Youth service
providers






Australian
Apprenticeships
Australian
Government Skills
Connect
Indigenous
Employment Program
Indigenous Youth
Careers Pathways
Program
SEE
WELL
Youth Connections
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 15
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Issue 5
Meeting the workforce and skills demand for planned
infrastructure projects including those identified across the
Queensland resources sector.
Goal:
Support the development of, and planning for, workforce needs associated with
growth industries across the region, particularly in relation to planned major
infrastructure projects and opportunities emerging from Queensland’s resources
sector.
Theme(s):
Jobs, skills and workforce development.
Strategies
Stakeholders
Programs
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In conjunction with RDA Sunshine Coast, the Local
Employment Coordinator (LEC), Sunshine Coast
Regional Council and the Queensland Government,
support the development of a workforce needs
assessment associated with major planned
infrastructure projects such as Sunshine Coast
University Hospital and Caloundra South Urban
Development Area.
Work with the LEC, School Business Community
Partnership Broker and other stakeholders in the
development of a North Brisbane corridor
workforce strategy.
Contribute to a working group established to
investigate opportunities arising from the National
Broadband Network (NBN) rollout.
Encourage and support education and training
providers to take advantage of the NBN-Enabled
Education and Skills Services (NBN-EESS) program.
Work with stakeholders to provide information to
industry and employers on key DEEWR and other
Government funded initiatives and programs.
Work with and support the RDA Sunshine Coast and
Sunshine Coast Regional Council on the
development of a resources sector strategy to
support Fly-In Fly-Out (FIFO) and supply chain
opportunities.
Support RDA Sunshine Coast and Sunshine Coast
Regional Council to promote opportunities arising
from an upgrade of the Sunshine Coast Airport.
Liaise with Regional Education, Skills and Jobs
Coordinators in regions experiencing high
workforce demand such as Gladstone and the Surat
Basin to maximise opportunities for FIFO and DriveIn Drive-Out workers.
Deliver youth orientated workforce development
programs to increase employment opportunities for
disadvantaged youth in the construction and
resources industries.
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Department of
Education, Training
and Employment
(Qld)
Department of
Industry, Innovation,
Climate Change,
Science, Research and
Tertiary Education
Disability Employment
Services (DES)
providers
Job Services Australia
(JSA) providers
LEC
RDA Sunshine Coast /
Wide Bay Burnett /
Darling Downs South
West Queensland
FIFO Coordinator
Wide Bay Burnett
School Business
Community
Partnership Broker
Sunshine Coast
Regional Council
RESJ Coordinators in
Fitzroy Central West
and Darling Downs
South West
Queensland
Tier 1 & 2 Mining and
Resource Sector,
Construction based
organisations
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Australian
Government Skills
Connect
DES
Indigenous
Employment Program
JSA
NBN-EESS Program
School Business
Community
Partnership Brokers
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 16
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APPENDICES
Appendix A — Stakeholders
Below is a list of organisations consulted during the development of this RESJ Plan, listed by sector.
Sector
Stakeholder
Local government
Sunshine Coast Regional Council.
State government
Department of Education, Training and Employment; Department Of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander and Multi-Cultural Affairs (DATSIMA).
Education
Education Queensland.
Vocational Education and
Training
Sunshine Coast TAFE; Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE (SQIT);
Construction Skills Queensland (CSQ); Construction Skills Training Centre
(CSTC).
Higher education
The University of the Sunshine Coast; University of Central Queensland.
Youth
School Business Community Partnership Broker – Queensland Youth Industry
Links (QYIL); Youth Connections – United Synergies; Regional Youth Support
Coordinator; Sunshine Coast Youth Partnership; Quest Aid, Quest College.
Employment
Disability Employment Services providers; Job Services Australia providers.
Regional development
Regional Development Australia Sunshine Coast; Fly In Fly Out Coordinator –
presently located in the RDA Wide Bay Burnett Region.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 17
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Appendix B — Existing related plans and strategies
This section includes some of the related strategic plans in the region which have:
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influenced the direction of this RESJ Plan
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have complementary goals and strategies and/or
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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) Sunshine Coast Regional
Roadmap
The RDA Regional Roadmap has
identified a variety of industry
sectors or enabling technologies
that have significant influence over
current and future prosperity
aspirations and include
construction, tourism, health,
mining, agribusiness and food and
the digital frameworks required to
enable these industry sectors.
This RESJ Plan supports the actions
identified in the Regional
Roadmap, particularly around
driving economic development and
job creation and maximising
education and training
opportunities. Where appropriate,
the RESJ Coordinator works in
conjunction with RDA Sunshine
Coast to support the priorities
identified in the Regional
Roadmap.
Priority Employment Area initiative
– Caboolture-Sunshine Coast
Regional Employment Plan
The Regional Employment Plan has
goals to:
 support employment,
workforce participation and
skills development
 help retrenched workers
 facilitate employment and
training opportunities
 improve capacity of local
business to provide
employment/training
opportunities’
 support development of
emerging industries’
This RESJ Plan supports the goals
of the Regional Employment Plan.
The RESJ Coordinator works
collaboratively with the Local
Employment Coordinator,
particularly around areas of
common interest, including
supporting industry and
employment, workforce
development strategies and
opportunities arising from the
resources sector.
South East Queensland Regional
Plan 2009 -2031
The South East Queensland
Regional Plan is a statutory plan
and the prime planning document
for the region.
This RESJ Plan supports shared
priorities.
Sunshine Coast Regional Council
The Sunshine Coast Regional
Council has a number of plans,
including an economic
development strategy and a rural
futures strategy.
This RESJ Plan supports shared
priorities.
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs Plan – Sunshine Coast 18
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ABBREVIATIONS
Abbreviation
Full Term
AEDI
Australian Early Development Index
DEEWR
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
DES
Disability Employment Services
DHS
Department of Human Services
FIFO
Fly-In Fly-Out
HEPPP
Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program
IEP
Indigenous Employment Program
JSA
Job Services Australia
LEC
Local Employment Coordinator
NBN
National Broadband Network
NBN-EESS
NBN-Enabled Education and Skills Services
RESJ
Regional Education, Skills and Jobs
RDA
Regional Development Australia
RPL
Recognition of Prior Learning
SCUH
Sunshine Coast University Hospital
SEE
Skills for Education and Employment
WELL
Workplace English Language and Literacy
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