is a key State Government initiative which links people with skills and jobs. This initiative brings together learning, training and employment services to ensure all south Australians have the opportunity to develop their work skills and to find employment.
will meet the challenges that will come from the States economic trends by continuing to expand participation in the States workforce, in particular for those people who struggle to break into the paid workforce.
In addition, we will address the demographic challenge of one third of our experienced workers reaching retirement age over the next decade, by working with industry to develop their workforce, retain skilled workers and to upskill existing workers.
By working in partnership with all levels of the government, industry and the community, :
- Provides learning, training and employment opportunities for people who are having trouble improving their skills or finding a job
- Assists local and regional communities to address the learning, training and work needs of individuals within their communities
- Helps maximise the number of jobs associated with industry and government projects
- Helps meet the demand for labour by responding to current and future skills demands, and
- Strengthens partnerships between government, industry, employment and training providers and the community resulting in shared responsibility fro outcomes.
programs expand and improve South Australia’s productivity while meeting and enriching the training and work needs of individuals. focuses especially on the needs of:
- Regions
- Communities
- Indigenous people
- Mature age people
- Public Sector
- Young people
Since the commencement of the program 82,000 participants have engaged in learning, training and work programs with 27,000 people gaining employment.
South Australia Works in the Regions provides leadership and support to enable regions to optimise their learning, training and work opportunities and outcomes. The program links people with learning, skills and jobs while addressing the labour and skill needs of industry in both the short and long term.
South Australia Works in the Regions:
- Provides opportunities for people who face the greatest difficulty in accessing training and jobs to address their learning, training and work needs
- Fosters leadership and strengthens the capacity of local communities to determine and respond to the learning, training and work needs
- Helps business and industry access workers and skilled labour to meet immediate and linger term needs
- Strengthens partnerships between government, industry, regional stakeholders and the community resulting in shared responsibility for the training and employment outcomes
- Recognises and responds to regional diversity and commonalties by providing tailored solutions to local issues
South Australia Works in the Regions operates through 17 Employment and Skills Formation Networks. These networks are responsible for coordinating local employment and skills formation planning and delivery, and consist of people from business and industry, regional economic bodies, Commonwealth, State and Local Government, employment training providers, non-government and community organisations.
Employment and Skills Formation Networks facilitate a collaborative, co-ordinated and targeted approach to learning, training and employment issues at the regional level by
- Consulting with the local community on employment and training issues
- Developing partnerships which ensure that all the expertise and resources available in the region are used
- Developing regional Employment and skills Formation Plans that address the local training and employment needs of individual and industry
- Responding effectively and quickly to changes in local conditions
The networks operate in the following regions
- Adelaide Hills
- Barossa & Light
- Eastern Adelaide
- Eyre Peninsula
- Fleurieu Peninsula
- Flinders Ranges and Outback
- Kangaroo Island
- Limestone Coast
- Mid North
- Murray Lands
- Riverland
- Southern Adelaide
- Southern flinders
- Western Adelaide
- Whyalla
- Yorke Peninsula
As people needs and region’s composition can be very different across the State, the initiatives funded though this program are diverse. Outcomes for individuals range from improved personal skills and employability to qualifications attainment to sustainable employment.
South Australia Works in the Regions strengthens the capacity of local communities to determine and responds to their local needs through the development of three year strategic plans together with annual action plans which outline vision for the region, community engagement and partnerships; and overview of the regions profile; and objectives and strategies to achieve the planned outcomes.
The success of this initiative is largely a result of the relationships and partnerships developed at all levels of the program and the empowerment of regions to address their local situations in a responsive and flexible way
Further information on the South Australia Works in the Regions 2006-2009 Strategic Plan can be found on the South Australia Works website at: www.saworks.sa.gov.au