EFFORTS to combat Gunnedah’s skill shortage issues have taken a step forward following a stakeholders’ meeting at Gunnedah TAFE this week.
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The roundtable included representatives from TAFE NSW, Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson, Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey and members of the Gunnedah business community.
During the meeting, the stakeholders discussed the use of $1.2 million of state government funding, on the table to help develop TAFE in the Gunnedah area, and the best strategies on how to use it.
Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson told The Namoi Valley Independent the meeting was very beneficial.
“There was a strong feeling of wanting to work together right throughout the meeting,” Mr Anderson said.
“Local businesses want to work with TAFE to improve things for themselves and TAFE in turn want to help local businesses get the best outcome for everyone.
“It was great to see everyone coming together on this and tackling these issues head on.”
Mr Anderson said strategies were put in place at the meeting to see positive outcomes for TAFE and local businesses.
“So now it is about canvassing local businesses within the Gunnedah region and finding out exactly what skills, courses and requirements they want from TAFE,” he said.
“The way everyone agreed to do that at the meeting was for TAFE to put surveys together for local businesses to complete and bring back to them to better understand their needs.
“Stage two of the strategy was to set up a steering group made up of a variety of stakeholders to then put these desires into action.
“At the end of the day it is about using the $1.2 million that’s on the table as best as we can, it can be used in variety of ways, it could be for technology upgrades or facility upgrades or new courses but it’s important we find out how the use of that money will most benefit local business and trade.”
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Gunnedah mayor Jamie Chaffey said he was pleased with the formation of the steering group but conceded a lot more work needs to be done.
“I think it was very pleasing to see so many people come together and reignite the lines of communication between local businesses and TAFE,” Cr Chaffey said.
“For a long time and I have been guilty of this too, we have been critical about the lack of communication coming from TAFE and the perception that there wasn’t going to be any communication.
“Tuesday’s meeting realigned everybody within the community who has a stake in local business or trade and while it’s not going to fix all of the problems our community is facing, it should go some way to helping our trade shortage.”
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
