JULIA GILLARD ANNOUNCES FUNDING
Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard has visited Barrow Island, Karratha and Broome in a three day tour of the Pilbara region in W.A.
Ms Gillard has been outlining the importance of creating� a skilled workforce to service the booming resources industry in� W.A.� and other mining-reliant States.
She announced a $50 million package on Monday to create 11,000 training places in partnership with industry to meet the demand. $40 million immediately with second round funding of $10 million allocated before July 2010.
She said the program continued the Australian Government`s pledge to strengthen national productivity and protect the Australian economy. The rollout of the Enterprise Based Productivity Places Program (EBPPP) will mean more than 2,350 businesses across the nation will have the opportunity to upgrade their workforce to increase the skills of existing workers, especially those on the priority occupations (e.g. resources) list.
Under the EBPPP, Industry Skills Councils will work with small, medium and large enterprises, and industry bodies to help them carry out the training.
Ms Gillard said the national Industry Skills Council network was a perfect fit for the program, with specialised knowledge on the delivery of skills training to help enterprises navigate the vocational education� and� training system.
The program is part of the larger Productivity Places Program (PPP). It will create training pathways, recognise the existing skills of workers and provide training to increase the skills of the Australian workforce.
To view a list of organisations receiving funding under the EBPPP, visit:
For contact details for the Industry Skills Council, visit:
For further information about the Productivity Places Program visit:
http://www.productivityplaces.deewr.gov.au
