Literacy training to help Gladstone jobseekers

14-Jun-2011

XX May 2011;

The Queensland Government has announced funding for literacy and numeracy training to help 45 Gladstone adults improve their chances of moving into jobs or training.

Minister for Employment, Skills and Mining Stirling Hinchliffe said Gladstone residents were well placed to benefit from the upcoming LNG boom.

“However, many adults struggle with basic numeracy and literacy skills and consequently can be locked out of the workforce, unable to take advantage of excellent employment opportunities in their own region,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

“To help Gladstone people avoid this situation the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative has provided a grant of $66,240 to Gladstone Area Group Apprentices Limited (GAGAL) to run a Community Literacy Program over the next several months.

“We expect that residents who take advantage of this training will come from a variety of backgrounds, including long-term unemployed, existing workers who are underemployed or vulnerable in the workplace, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, South Sea Islanders, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities who are seeking work or want to enter further training.”

GAGAL’s Community Literacy Program’s coordinator Kerry Hall said she wanted to reassure potential participants that the focus of the program was to help them meet their individual needs in a supportive environment and develop confidence and self-esteem.

“We will assess each participant’s needs to determine their barriers to employment and plan a learning program that will increase their ability to perform in Gladstone’s increasingly competitive labour market,” Ms Hall said.

“Learning activities will be structured in a manner that will keep participants interested.

“For example, some participants might develop literacy and numeracy skills through cooking classes where they’ll learn to read and measure when following recipes, establishing a community garden or developing a book on line.

“As their skills improve they’ll be helped to adapt them to other settings.”

Eligible participants will be over the age of 18, be Australian citizens and wanting to work or go on to further study. Anyone interested can contact Kerry Hall on 4971 0304.

In 2010/11 the Queensland Government’s Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative is providing funding grants totalling $106 million to give an estimated 24,000 long-term unemployed people job related assistance and skills training to help them move into the workforce.

Twelve months after receiving assistance, 66 per cent of participants are in employment or further training.

For more information on the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative visit www.employment.qld.gov.au or call 1300 369 925 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            1300 369 925      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

Media contacts: Minister’s office – (07) 3224 1870 
                                GAGAL Community Literacy Program Coordinator – (07) 4971 0304