The Hon Martin Ferguson AM MP
Minister for Resources and Energy
Minister for Tourism
representing
Senator Chris Evans
Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills,
Jobs and Workplace Relations
Biloela
*Check against delivery
Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen.
Thank you Mr Hooper for the warm welcome and can I say what a pleasure it is to be back here in Biloela this morning to open the Banana Engineering Skills Training (BEST) Centre.
I was of course here in August last year to announce that if re-elected Labor would commit an additional $1 million in funding for this important project.
This brings total Commonwealth support to $2.5 million and it is fantastic to have the opportunity to see first hand what Gladstone Area Group Apprentices Limited (GAGAL) has been able to achieve with this funding.
Looking around the Centre this morning the results are truly impressive.
The importance of training locally
What struck me most last time I was here was talking with parents and hearing how, for them, one of the most important things about this new Centre is the opportunity it offers for their children to access a high standard of training locally.
They told me about the difference that doing away with the need to travel to Gladstone, Brisbane, Mackay or Rockhampton to access training would make.
With the rapidly growing resources industry offering more and more high-skill, high-wage jobs in regional areas, being able to not only work but also train locally will make a big difference in the lives of these young people.
As Minister for Resources and Energy I talk regularly to a lot of companies who are making significant investments in Australia.
In what can only be characterised as a boom time for the industry the one issue these companies raise consistently with me, the single biggest challenge they face, is finding enough skilled workers to support the record pipeline of investment.
Overcoming this challenge is exactly what this Centre is targeted to do.
The completed works will provide the BEST Centre and the local community with an improved facility that supports future trainees to be part of the highly skilled workforce we need.
The fit-out of this new training facility will enhance Gladstone Area Group Apprentices’ capacity to deliver much needed training that will meet the specific needs of the resources and energy industries located in the Biloela region.
It is of great benefit to the community to have a highly regarded training provider that targets local industry and business needs and I commend GAGAL for their work.
Although Australia is doing exceptionally well at the moment from the growing demand for our mineral and energy commodities international competition is increasing.
In this context our focus must be on improving productivity - skilling and training more Australians is an absolute priority.
Young people here in Biloela and indeed right around the country have the opportunity to forge a career for themselves in the resources sector that will set them up for life.
Facilities like this one open the door and are an indispensable part of our national infrastructure to support skills and training – an infrastructure we are boosting through the Building Australia’s Future Workforce package.
Building Australia’s Future Workforce
This $3 billion package announced in the Budget is helping pick up the pace of reform in the skills and training sectors.
Strong partnership between government and industry is at the heart of the measures to address the growing demand for skilled workers.
That’s why the Government has taken an approach that:
- places industry at the heart of the training effort to deliver skilled workers;
- reforms the VET sector to meet the longer term needs of the economy; and
- reforms the Australian apprenticeship system to improve workforce participation.
If we are to support industry to adapt to the workplace of tomorrow and maximise the benefits of a strengthening economy we must invest in modern, flexible training that provides the skilled workers the sector needs.
Conclusion
In conclusion can I again commend all those involved in delivering a truly outstanding facility here in Biloela.
The BEST Centre is, and will continue to be, one of Queensland’s outstanding training institutions.
I am certain – as I think everyone here this morning is - that implementation of the long term vision for the BEST Centre will ensure that the sons and daughters of all in Biloela and surrounding districts are given a real opportunity to acquire the technical skills that will form a solid basis for their future working lives.
And that’s not just good for individual Australians who enjoy the financial reward of developing their talent; it’s also good for productivity, good for the economy and good for the country.
Thank you.