Miles Doing What Matters: Skilling Queenslanders for Work

Minister Lance McCallum with Karyn Walsh and Annette Gillespie from Micah Projects" />

The Miles Labor Government is providing another $80 million in cost-of-living relief by sponsoring thousands of Queenslanders with free qualifications, paid traineeships, and putting them on a path to employment.

Funded by progressive coal royalties, up to 15,000 vulnerable jobseekers will be given an opportunity with community-based not-for-profit organisations to get on the job training through the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program.

The first round of funding in 2024-25 will invest $44.6 million to open doors for over 5,500 job seekers, who may be experiencing social isolation, learning difficulties or mental health challenges, to find meaningful work through our Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.

Across 94 organisations and 166 projects statewide, jobseekers will gain qualifications and real-world experience across a range of priority industries including construction, education, retail, community services, health, and hospitality.

Visiting Micah Projects’ Hope on Boundary Street Cafe today, Minister for Training and Skills Development Lance McCallum met with “The Hope Street Training Program” participants who are changing their lives for the better through the program.

Since opening in 2016 the social enterprise café has supported over one hundred vulnerable Queenslanders, including women experiencing domestic violence, with the majority going on to secure ongoing employment.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Development Lance McCallum:

"We’re doing what matters for Queenslanders – so this about more than funding, it's a beacon of hope and opportunity for some of our most vulnerable Queenslanders.

“We know the cost-of-living is putting pressure on Queenslanders - this initiative provides essential support to help people secure ongoing employment to improve their livelihoods.

“For many, this will be the first formal qualification they’ll have ever gotten, and for some their very first job.

“The new Miles Labor Government knows that good jobs change lives – and low unemployment isn't an accident – deliberate decisions like funding Skilling Queenslanders for Work properly at $80 million a year make a real difference.

“The community services sector has seen first-hand the damage that cuts by the LNP can cause, so Queenslanders should rightfully be asking serious questions of David Crisafulli about whether he will cut this program again.”

Quotes attributable to CEO of Micah Projects, Karyn Walsh:

“Micah Projects is part of Skilling Queenslanders for Work so we can provide great and strong opportunities to train people, prepare them for work and get them into jobs.

“Trainees have come through the program for more than five years and we still have trainees continuing to learn skills so they can take up work and fit into the workplace.

“The Hope on Boundary and Hope St Cafes are training grounds to get real experience to be ready to take up a position in the workplace and build careers.

“It’s not just a temporary job but aims for a long-term solution providing work for those in the program.

“Being part of a social enterprise means it helps overcome some of the barriers to work that some people face finding permanent employment.

“Micah Projects is committed to supporting people in the community here at West End and throughout Brisbane with the ultimate hope of permanent employment that works for them and their situation.”

Further Skilling Queenslanders for Work (SQW) information:

The second Skilling Queenslanders for Work funding round for 2024-25 opens on 29 July 2024 - continuing the Miles Government’s commitment to empowering individuals and strengthening the workforce.

Recipients of this round include:

• Beyond DV’s Community Work Skills ‘Reach into Retail’ project in Carindale – aiding up to 20 women affected by domestic violence to complete a Certificate I in Retail Services with practical experience at Westfield Carindale Shopping Centre.
• IDEAL (Innovative Disability Employment and Liaison) Placements Mackay – assisting 20 individuals, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and those with disabilities, to earn a Certificate III in Rural Operations.
• Community Owned Enterprises’ Wujal Wujal Pride of Place Community Recovery Project – employing 10 people from Wujal Wujal in paid Work Skills Traineeships through a Certificate I in Construction, while enhancing community facilities.
• Southern Downs Industry Education Association Inc’s Community Work Skills ‘Southern Downs Automotive 2024 – 2025’ project – assisting 12 people to complete a Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation in the Warwick region.
• The Migrant Centre Organisation Inc’s five projects across the Gold Coast – assisting up to 285 migrant and refugee job seekers to earn certificates in Community Services, Early Childhood Education and Care, Health Administration, Health Services Assistance, Individual Support, School-Based Education Support, or Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways.

The initiative supports the Good Jobs, Great Training: Queensland Skills Strategy 2024 – 2028 which outlines the Queensland Government’s plan to provide an accessible training system and ensure our state has the skilled workers it needs now and into the future.

Please click the following link for a list of the successful SQW projects: https://desbt.qld.gov.au/training/community-orgs/sqw/funded-projects

ENDS

Media contact:

Minister McCallum’s Office: Andrew Churchill 0472 645 871