Seventeen projects in Queensland are receiving up to $250,000 in grants each as part of the state government’s $3.4 million Micro-credentialing Program to upskill existing workers and job seekers in the state.
The Micro-credentialing Program aims to support the development of specialised and targeted training to address gaps of emerging skills needs that are not addressed through accredited training. The program is expected to help equip up to 7,525 Queenslanders with critical and priority skills, the Queensland Government said in a media release.
Among the successful projects receiving the grant is TAFE Queensland, which will deliver a micro-credential in spatial measurement for construction and marine to up to 100 students at its Coomer campus Marine Centre of Excellence and other sites.
The program funding will enable organisations to deliver industry-supported short courses across Queensland in industries ranging from meat processing and construction to agriculture and aged care.
The Micro-credentialing Program is part of the state’s “Good People. Good Jobs: Queensland Workforce Strategy 2022-2032,” which aims to upskill Queenslanders now and into the future.
“The Micro-credentialing Program is delivering important, focused training that gives existing workers or jobseekers important skills development,” said Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer.
“It can be an effective way to address priority skills gaps outside of other education and training models by providing short courses for jobseekers and existing workers,” the minister said.
CQ University is also among the recipients of the grant and plans to use the funding to upskill teachers in agriculture through its Next-Gen Ag Teachers: AgFoodFibre for the 21st-century course. Up to 300 teachers in the Central Queensland region and across the state are expected to benefit from the project.
“Key industry bodies Master Electricians Association of Queensland, the Queensland Master Builders Association, Cotton Australia Limited, Australasian Timber Flooring Association and AUS-Meat Limited will receive funding to deliver micro-credentials in high-priority skills areas to more than 2,800 Queenslanders,” Minister Farmer said.
“Our workplaces are changing, influenced by trade, technology, and social forces, and we need to be on the front foot providing the right training so Queenslanders can access jobs and do them well,” the minister added.
“Through collaboration with industry, innovative programs are being developed that will deliver flexible pathways that complement the significant investment in formal training made by the Queensland Government.
