Queensland has announced two major grant programs worth $50 million to boost job creation and upskilling of local workforces in Gladstone.
A number of businesses in the city are slated to benefit from the latest investment.
Speaking at Upton Engineering, Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing Glenn Butcher said the Manufacturing Hub and Made in Queensland programs have created or supported more than 5,000 jobs to date.
Butcher said the state’s 2022-2023 budget has allotted $40 million to continue the Made in Queensland grants programs and $10 million to continue the Manufacturing Hub initiative.
The minister added that the grants will enable businesses, like Upton, to boost their expansion efforts and enter new markets.
The grant programs have helped generate more than $100 million in private sector investment and are expected to create or support more than 7,000 jobs in the future.
Upton Engineering was awarded a $636,972 Manufacturing Hub grant in early 2022, which allowed the business to buy a Makino a500Z 5-axis machining centre.
“To have this capability come to regional Queensland is really exciting, it’s a really high-end and advanced manufacturing, which allows us to compete internationally and bring our costing down,” said Mitch Upton, managing director of Upton.
“Without the Queensland Government grant, that piece of machinery would not be a reality for us right now.”
