July 13, 2010The State Government's Employment Taskforce - established at the height of the GFC - will now lead the transition into the new Queensland Skills Commission, Premier Anna Bligh announced today.
Bligh says the Skills Commission will be established over the next six months to drive training and skills throughout Queensland.
"It's been 18 months since our government convened the first Employment Taskforce and at that time - in January 2009 - unemployment was at the start of a sharp rise, on the back of the worst financial downturn the world has seen since the Great Depression," the Premier says.
"We needed to do everything in our power to keep Queenslanders in jobs and to assist workers in distress as well as supporting companies which were faced with the prospect of losing staff,” she says.
While it was the GFC which brought the Taskforce together 18 months ago, Bligh says now is the time to transition to avoiding future skills shortages.
"There is no doubt our economy has gathered momentum in recent months, defying the odds to grow at three percent over the last year, with forecast growth of 3.75 percent for 2010-11,” she says.
The Commission will reportedly be operational by January 1, 2011.
"The Employment Taskforce will now transition to working on the establishment of the Skills Commission. Employment Taskforce members have been invited to be part of the Steering Committee to work on bringing the Commission into being and defining its key roles and responsibilities,” Bligh says.
"Organisations like AIG and the QRC have been instrumental in generating ideas such as the Skills Commission through their advocacy on the Employment Taskforce. I look forward to their involvement in the establishment of the Skills Commission," she adds.
