Timber Queensland has partnered with Jobs Queensland to develop a workforce plan and action-based initiatives for the forest and timber industry through a state government funded ‘Grow Your Own’ program. Source: Timberbiz
Representatives from employers in the Wide Bay region met regularly to pinpoint and endorse focus areas, assist with gathering information, identify key issues and help find solutions to develop, implement and monitor the regional workforce plan.
Initially this group worked to develop a Wide Bay forestry industry snapshot, a document that provides an analysis of employment and training trends in the Wide Bay region and forestry-related industries.
This report, produced for Jobs Queensland, aims to support the “Grow Your Own” Regional Workforce Program by identifying workforce challenges in the Wide Bay forestry region. This helped inform the development of mechanisms to implement action-based, locally focused and led workforce planning and initiatives. Specifically, it provides an analysis of the employment and training data and trends within the Wide Bay region and forestry-related industries. It identifies workforce challenges and opportunities.
Following the publication of the region and industry snapshot industry-led consultation with key industry and community stakeholders, highlighted common workforce, training and business challenges.
Despite these challenges, the industry showed a strong commitment to working with government and training providers to plan for their future by developing recommendations, priorities and practical methods to benefit the region’s forest and timber industry’s future workforce.
The subsequent Wide Bay Forest and Timber Industry Workforce Development Plan provides a foundation for an industry committed to growth and future prosperity.
The skills and experience Timber Queensland has gained from working with Jobs Queensland on the Wide Bay ‘Grow Your Own’ program can be applied in other major forest and timber industry regions in Queensland.
“It has been very encouraging to see the industry pull together to drive the development of this plan,” Timber Queensland CEO Mick Stephens said.
“It represents the most comprehensive deep dive into this industry for this region so far and will form part of a solid strategy to build resilience in our industry.
“Now the real work begins as industry and other stakeholders take steps to carry out each one of the identified actions in the plan, which will take ongoing effort,” he said.
“However, with the growth of the bioeconomy and housing demand creating new and expanding markets for wood products, new jobs and roles are emerging and we need to be prepared for that. This plan will help the local industry have the skills and workforce to deliver.”
The Grow Your Own Workforce can be downloaded here.
The Wide Bay Forest and Timber Industry Workforce Development Plan can be downloaded here.
