TRAINING and employment outcomes for regional areas across Australia are set to expand after a key Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed in Melbourne last week.
The Minister for Vocational and Further Education, Andrew Robb, signed the agreement with Owen Hegarty, the Vice Chairman of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA), and Simon Ramsay, a Board Member of the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) and President of the Victorian Farmers Federation.
“Under the MOU, the Australian Government will fund three important regional projects through the National Skills Shortages Strategy, and also support the MCA and the NFF to highlight the effectiveness of government initiatives and programmes,” Robb said.
“This is terrific news, that two of the great drivers of our economy have joined forces, as it has the potential to assist people living in regional Australia with new employment opportunities.
The activities will attract, train and retain people to provide a highly skilled workforce for industry and target community development needs, including those of Indigenous Australians, school leavers and women.
“This is the way of the future, developing skills that individuals can use across the farm and mining sectors, 50,000 people left agriculture during the drought, we must now plug that gap,” Robb added.
“I congratulate the peak bodies for agreeing to work together to ensure that local areas benefit from the minerals boom and regional Australia’s expected recovery from the drought,” Robb said.