Business Wodonga is excited to announce the commencement of the Local Jobs Program for the Goulburn Murray Region

The Local Jobs Program brings together expertise, resources, and access to funding at the local level to support job seekers and their communities in each region. The program has a particular focus on reskilling, upskilling and employment pathways and is part of supporting Australia’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Through the Local Jobs Program, the Australian Government will consider a region’s specific needs to best help people take advantage of new job opportunities as the economic recovery gathers pace. 

This $213.5 million national rollout extends and expands the hugely successful Local Jobs Program. 

Now covering all 51 Employment Regions across Australia, the program will provide further localised assistance to bring Australians back into jobs as quickly as possible.

The program recognises the importance of local knowledge in supporting the nation’s economic recovery from COVID-19 and will tailor employment and training solutions to the needs of each Employment Region.

The program focuses on reskilling, upskilling, and establishing employment pathways for those looking for work, helps people enter employment as quickly as possible.

The national rollout, which is now underway, will run until 30 June 2025.

Elements of the Program

The program includes three key elements:

Employment Facilitators, Local Jobs and Skills Taskforces, and the Local Recovery Fund

The national rollout will also include a fourth component – a National Priority Fund of $50 million over four years to assist regions to address structural barriers and skills and labour mismatches that may emerge in the post-pandemic economy. To respond quickly to local needs, this national, flexible funding pool will be established within the already well set up network of the Local Jobs Program. This will provide $12.5 million per year to support work with key stakeholders, such as local government, that will complement job creation opportunities and tackle other structural barriers to employment (e.g. transportation).

This fund will complement the existing structures of the Local Jobs Program. Employment Facilitators are already working closely with employers, peak bodies, and local and state government to address workforce shortages in industries such as Aged, Disability and Home Care; Hospitality; and seasonal Agricultural work, to prepare job seekers to connect with current and emerging job opportunities.

Local Employment Facilitators are already in 25 Employment Regions. This national rollout will engage them in the remaining 26 Employment Regions to cover all 51 Employment Regions. These are dedicated individuals who draw on their local expertise and connections to get the community working together to support people into work or training as quickly as possible. They will also work with job seekers in their region to connect them with training, job opportunities or other support.

The Goulburn Murray Employment Facilitator is Brendan Sheridan who is joined by the Support Officer, Faye D'Helin at Business Wodonga's office at 191 Beechworth Road in Wodonga. If you would like to get in touch with either of them, please find their contact details below. 

Each Employment Facilitator will chair a Local Jobs and Skills Taskforce.  Taskforce members will be selected from a range of key stakeholders, including employers, training organisations, employment services providers, local and state government representatives, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community representatives and other community organisations. Taskforces will work with employers to identify what they are looking for and build pathways for unemployed people to train for, and enter, industries with jobs in demand. They are also responsible for developing a Local Jobs Plan. 

The Local Jobs Plans will identify each region’s priorities, opportunities, and skills gaps. It will draw on information provided by the newly established National Skills Commission and the National Careers Institute. Local Recovery Funds, consistent with the funding available under the current program, will be available to support stakeholders to develop projects that place job seekers at the heart of local economic recovery.  These projects will ensure job seekers have the skills and other support to move into jobs in demand. For example, where the Local Jobs and Skills Taskforce identifies healthcare as a growth industry, the Employment Facilitator could work with employers, employment services providers and training providers to upskill appropriate job seekers in the region to move into healthcare jobs.

Employment Facilitators provide a local on-the-ground presence for the department in identified regions. They are a local resource to help workers and other job seekers reconnect with employment and training opportunities as quickly as possible.

Employment Facilitators work directly with job seekers and retrenched workers to connect them with training, job opportunities and to link them with other existing support.  Employment Facilitator activities complement jobactive services and provide local retrenched workers, job seekers and employers with advice and links to resources. They help to facilitate and deliver government initiatives such as the Local Jobs Program and structural adjustment support.  A local presence assists in co-ordinating support across the Australian Government, state and territory governments and other key stakeholders and in providing feedback to the Australian Government on developments in their region.  Employment Facilitators help to support people to move to new job opportunities and other existing support. They improve employment opportunities for the local community.  Employment Facilitators do not have specific employment outcome targets. Rather they are responsible for working alongside jobactive, employers, and to work directly with job seekers and local businesses to connect them with training, job opportunities and existing support. 

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