Local business and government leaders are meeting in Mandurah today to generate innovative ideas and practical actions to grow the skilled workforce in the Peel region.
The Mandurah-Peel Regional Skills Summit is the ninth in a series of 10 Regional Skills Summits hosted by the McGowan Government since August 2021.
Insights from the Mandurah-Peel Regional Skills Summit will form the basis of a local action plan to meet the region’s unique workforce needs.
More than 40 government and regional business leaders from a range of sectors are attending the Mandurah Summit, including the region’s biggest employing industries of retail, health care and social assistance, construction, education and training, manufacturing and accommodation and food services.
Recognising the importance of training to build a skilled workforce and retain people in regional areas, the McGowan Government has been working to ensure its investment in training initiatives reaches all corners of the State.
Peel locals are snapping up affordable training opportunities offered through the State Government’s Lower fees, local skills (LFLS) initiative, with a 27 per cent increase in LFLS enrolments in the region this year.
Employers have responded by taking on more apprentices and trainees in the Peel region in 2021, with commencements up by more than 75 per cent in the 12 months to September 30, 2021.
The McGowan Government recently expanded the LFLS program by a further 30 courses from 2022, to include a total of 210 courses with heavily reduced course fees in priority industry areas including hospitality, health care, construction, retail and others.
Workers in industries which have a critical need to upskill workers – including childcare, aged and disability care, and civil construction – will be able to access low fee existing worker traineeship places to help meet the skills needs of these sectors.
The new initiatives respond to workforce issues raised by industry leaders at the Perth and regional skills summits held to date, and are jointly funded through a $103.5 million agreement between the State and Commonwealth Governments under the expanded JobTrainer Fund agreement.
Other initiatives progressing from the Perth Skills Summit include attracting onshore skilled migrants to fill jobs in demand in Western Australia; supporting mature age apprentices; promoting the tourism and hospitality industry to school students to grow the workforce; extending the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Re-engagement Incentive; freezing regional Government rental accommodation to attract public sector workers to the regions; and boosting Aboriginal youth employment opportunities.
The State Government is also providing support for jobseekers experiencing disadvantage to obtain a driver’s licence; progressing targeted advertising campaigns to attract interstate workers and increase participation of under-represented groups in WA; has smoothed the pipeline of construction work; and is running a series of 10 Regional Skills Summits, including the one being held today.
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“Through Skills Summits our Government and industry leaders are working together to increase the capability of local workforces across the State.
“Ideas and discussions captured at the Mandurah Skills Summit will inform local action plans to address changing workforce needs in the Peel region, with a focus on local solutions for local issues.”
As stated by Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education and Training Terry Healy:
“Our Government is keen to hear from business leaders about practical actions that can be taken in the Peel to help fill local jobs.
“I know from having hosted many of these that they have been well received and I look forward to meeting with the Peel community.”
As stated by Mandurah MLA David Templeman:
“I am thrilled to be able to host one of the Skills Summits in Mandurah.
“The region has unique skills needs and I am interested in hearing about new ways of ensuring we can continue to grow our local workforce to support local jobs.”
