Registered training and community organisations can now apply for up to $400,000 each as part of the next round of the Newman Government’s $47 million Community Learning program.
The program has issued two rounds of funding so far which had delivered on the Government’s election promise to revitalise frontline services.
The 2014-15 funding of $10 million will create job-focused training, giving a minimum of 4,000 disadvantaged learners an opportunity to gain nationally recognised training.
Community Learning funding in the 2013–14 financial year supported 49 projects and more than 3,900 people.
Well trained staff are an integral part of building a strong four pillar economy, which we promised at the last election.
Around 60 per cent of program participants were women, and 30 per cent came from migrant backgrounds.
One of the early success stories locally is the Salvation Army’s Booth College, which secured $399,000 in round one for their LINKS program.
As Community Services Manager Tom Osborne explained,
“The CLP funding has allowed us to provide the necessary support to a group of community who previously had no access to training funding. The participants are already talking about how the program will help them to travel the journey to their desired career. The extra support the program provides for outside of industry skill training has been critical in the clients’ achievements.
“We currently have 30-plus clients in training. They range across the subject areas of Retail Operations, Hospitality, Horticulture, Business Administration, Construction and Furniture Making. Industry partners will provide work experience giving participants yet another boost on their way to relevant, sustainable employment”, he said.
Training in a community based setting is a less restrictive environment for people who’ve had challenges learning in school or more traditional institutional settings and this program ensures training is specifically tailored to individual Queenslander’s circumstances, abilities and needs.
The Newman Government is proud to have helped change thousands of lives by giving Queenslanders the skills they need to secure work and build a bright future.
The amount of cash available to organisations depends on the nature of the training, the assistance provided, and the number of participants in the project. Applications close on 31 March, and projects are required to start in the next financial year. More details are available at www.training.qld.gov.au/communitylearning