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Upper Spencer Gulf training project

6 May 2010

A new project in the Upper Spencer Gulf region is providing 50 locals with an opportunity to gain skills and employment in the region's growing resources sector.

Employment, Training and Further Education Minister, Jack Snelling says the $758,650 Transport Project - a joint initiative of the State and Commonwealth Governments and industry - will provide a pool of skilled workers across a range of industry jobs.

"Skilled occupations - including heavy vehicle licence, heavy crane operators, rail track workers and warehousing and storage - are particularly in demand within the Upper Spencer Gulf," Mr Snelling says.

"This project will target recently retrenched workers with current skills in the transport, logistics and rail sectors, as well as mature age workers, members of Aboriginal communities and disadvantaged young people from the Upper Spencer Gulf region.

"The South Australian Centre for Economic Studies forecasts that as many as 2,500 transport and related industry workers will be needed by the resources sector between now and 2014.

"Heavy vehicle drivers, forklift operators, warehousing and store persons are among the top occupations in skills demand according to the Training and Skills Commission's Five Year Plan.

"Training will be delivered locally by registered training organisations with a minimum of 10 per cent of the places available to the Aboriginal community," Mr Snelling says.

"This project is additional to our election commitment to provide a new grant program of $1 million a year for communities in the Upper Spencer Gulf to help drive employment and meet the expected demand from the mining industry for new jobs.

"The State Government has also committed $500,000 for a comprehensive study to examine the feasibility of establishing a heavy engineering and manufacturing hub in Port Augusta," Mr Snelling says.