Gilmore MP Ann Sudmalis hopes the recent plunge in youth unemployment here is just the beginning.
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There is change in the air – the Shoalhaven/Southern Highlands youth unemployment rate has fallen from 29.3 per cent to 19.6 per cent in nine months.
On Tuesday morning Mrs Sudmalis announced another scheme to address the area’s high unemployment rate.
Gilmore was named as one of ten regions across the country to benefit from the new federal government employment program.
The million-dollar program will directly support employment projects such as mentoring programs and upskilling job-seekers so they are job ready.
“There are some young people who don’t have a family support system that will help them move into work, and stay in work,” Mrs Sudmalis said.
“For those people who would normally go onto the unemployment lines, it will change their lives.
“In the last two week I have found our agribusinesses and our mariculture businesses are absolutely screaming out for employees. The dairy industry is looking for food quality assessors, can’t fill it, there’s a booming oyster industry and we can’t get quality assurance officers. All these job vacancies and no one to come in.”
Regional Development Australia in Nowra will facilitate the program, and will sub contract jobs to successful applicants.
“It’s not just open for young people, this is available for mature long-term unemployed people,” RDA Far South Coast CEO Fiona Hatcher said.
“It’s open to anybody with a good idea with a program they can deliver that may result in higher employment.”
The NSW Greens have cautiously welcomed the announcement.
“The announcement will go some way to restoring the employment coordinator program that was cut by the Abbott Government in 2014,” Greens MLC and Shoalhaven resident Justin Field said.
“Unemployment across the Shoalhaven has been consistently high since the Abbott government cut a similar long-term employment coordinator program in 2014.
“I welcome today’s announcement and it reflects much of the feedback that came out of the youth unemployment forum held in Nowra last year.
“The forum recognised the essential need for better coordination of employment services, mentoring support for young people and ensuring those looking for work had access to education, training and employment with better local transport.
“It is also critical to restore the TAFE network across the region to ensure people have the opportunities to build the skills and knowledge they need to gain employment, particularly in those growth areas of agriculture, health, aged care, and hospitality.
“It is telling that Mrs Sudmalis said in her announcement today that she has only recently found out that the local dairy and other agricultural industries are screaming out for support to help train and bring young people into local employment. These exact points were made in last year’s forum and have been part of the public discussion for some time. I’m glad to see the Coalition has finally got the message.”