Link Employment CEO John Ackland, Cranbourne MP Jude Perera and Link Employment general manager Stephen Dunn at the launch of the South Eastern Melbourne branch of Skills Store.
EMPLOYMENT in Casey may be set for a boom if residents make the most of the establishment of Skills Store.
Skills Store is aimed at encouraging Victorians to undertake further education and training as well as recognising existing skills and helping employers meet emerging skill needs.
The South Eastern Melbourne branch was officially launched by Cranbourne MP Jude Perera at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Cranbourne earlier this week.
Mr Perera said the $23 million initiative would award 5000 Skills Stores’ clients with grants of $250 to assist with the cost of formal recognition of skills at a TAFE or other registered training organisation.
“This is a win, win for Cranbourne and its surrounds,” Mr Perera said.
“The idea behind the funding of the Skills Stores was to take the message of retraining – and especially the importance of recognising prior learning – out to where the people are,” he said.
“People can literally walk in off the street into a Skills Store and get free expert advice about their current skills, future skill development options and training they need to turn their skills into qualifications.”
The Skills Stores are set to also help businesses identify training needs and solutions for their workforce and assist school career advisers.
The South Eastern branch will service residents in cities including Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia and is a free service.
Mr Perera said the Skills Stores are part of the Victorian Government’s strategy to increase the skills of the Victorian workforce and create a more sophisticated, high-skilled economy.
“In a recent survey, 59 per cent of Australian employers named lack of skilled staff as the biggest factor preventing small to medium-sized businesses from expanding.”
Skills Stores will also operate as mobile units, visiting shopping centres, businesses and communities.
The South Eastern Skills Store is managed by LINK Employment and Training, a private registered training operator and major private provider of training and assessment services in the vocational education and training sector.
For more information about Skills Store contact 8710 6500 or visit www.otte.vic.gov.au/skillsstores.
