Skilling Queenslanders for Work assists 100,000 jobseekers

More than 100,000 Queensland jobseekers have gained work and training to help them find jobs as part of the State Government's Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.

Minister for Employment, Skills and Mining Stirling Hinchliffe said the initiative had seen around two thirds of participants employed or in training 12 months after participating in a Skilling Queenslanders for Work project.

"Skilling Queenslanders for Work has been a resounding success right across Queensland and reaching this milestone is a great way to kick off the New Year," Mr Hinchliffe said.

"This initiative has made a terrific difference to the lives of many Queenslanders and their families and we look forward to helping many more people into jobs through the course of this year.

"Not only are we building a workforce with skills that match current and future industry needs, we are putting thousands of Queenslanders back on the path to employment, new careers and brighter futures.

"When the initiative was introduced in July 2007 as part of the $1Billion Queensland Skills Plan, our intention was to help those most disadvantaged in the labour force and community, including the long-term unemployed and the underemployed.

"Our aim was to provide a helping hand to Queenslanders who were having difficulty getting jobs - because of a lack of skills or relevant, recent experience."

Mr Hinchliffe said the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative was adapted in the wake of last year's natural disasters to help get Queensland communities back on their feet.

"The Queensland Green Army teams, funded under the initiative, have helped tremendously with the flood relief efforts and are still being activated to restore communities around the state," he said.

"Participants get paid work as they are trained in a variety of high-demand skills and their work benefits their local community too - everyone wins."

The Bligh Government is investing $104 million in the initiative this financial year to assist an estimated 24,000 people with jobs and job-related skills through some 400 projects across the state. Since 1998, more than $1.2 billion has been invested to help more than 275,000 people through the Breaking the Unemployment Cycle initiative and the more recent Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.

For more information on the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative, visit www.employment.qld.gov.au or call 1300 369 925.

Employment, Skills and Mining
The Honourable Stirling Hinchliffe
25/01/2012
Skilling Queenslanders for Work assists 100,000 jobseekers

Permanent Link: Skilling Queenslanders for Work assists 100,000 jobseekers
Publish Date: 25 Jan 12

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