September marked the second anniversary of the Southcentral Workforce Network (SWN). The project was the result of a successful grant appli­cation from the Southern Central Subregion (SCS) to the Tasmanian Community Fund to establish a work­force development project to service the Southern Midlands, Central High­lands, Derwent Valley and Brighton municipalities.

Our first six months fo­cused on connecting with industry and job seekers in the four municipali­ties, understanding the barriers each faced and streamlining the recruit­ment process. The project also focused on providing training options to upskill employed and unemployed people.

Early in the second year the project received funding from the State Government to establish a Regional Jobs Hub in Pontville, under the banner of Jobs Tasmania. This has allowed the proj­ect to recruit a Hub Manag­er, two Career Advisors and a Trainee Administration Assistant.

We can now meet with a greater number of busi­nesses and jobseekers from the office. Support is on an individual basis, as no business or job seeker has the same requirements. The Pontville office gives the project the flexibility to offer a great number of training solutions to the region, which can now be delivered from its two training rooms.

Outreach services are avail­able in Oatlands, Bothwell and New Norfolk. Project staff meet with jobseekers and businesses in their own region and help those who don’t have access to transport. The project is now also supported by the Area Connect service which can assist those unable to access transport to attend employment or training.

Up until now, 668 com­munity members have registered and 232 of them have gained employment, with the majority of these roles being permanent full-time or part-time. 27 of these roles have resulted in apprenticeships or train­eeships. 576 candidate CVs have been distributed to businesses in the subregion who have had registered vacancies with the pro­gram. 46 training programs have been delivered, result­ing in the upskilling of 515 participants. The project has also taken part in 774 business meetings since it was established.

This progress could not have happened without the support provided by the four subregion councils. Each has been pivotal in providing the assistance to allow the project to operate and should be commended.