Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training

The Honourable Ros Bates

19 August 2026

MEDIA STATEMENT: Regional projects backed to skill Queenslanders for work

  • More than 5,200 Queenslanders will get practical skills and pathways into jobs through the latest round of Skilling Queenslanders for Work.
  • 166 projects will connect jobseekers with employers and opportunities in industries facing worker shortages, with three quarters of the successful projects to be delivered across regional Queensland.
  • The Crisafulli Government is rebuilding Queensland’s skilled workforce pipeline after Labor’s decade of decline created dire skills shortages across the State.

The Crisafulli Government is backing more than 5,200 Queenslanders to get practical training, workplace experience and a clearer pathway into work through the latest round of the Skilling Queenslanders for Work program.

Labor’s decade of decline created dire skills shortages in every part of the State, leaving employers struggling to find workers and too many Queenslanders without a clear pathway into a job.

The Crisafulli Government is rebuilding the State’s skilled workforce and helping Queenslanders find a job and advance their careers, particularly in the regions, with more than three quarters of the successful projects to be delivered outside Brisbane.

The latest round of Skilling Queenslanders for Work is backing 166 projects through 92 community organisations, focused on getting Queenslanders into industries feeling the effects of Labor’s skills shortages.

Projects will target workforce needs across priority industries like construction, health and community services, aviation, and hospitality, as well as other sectors.

For the first time, 19 new industry-led pilot projects will bring employers, industry groups, councils and training providers together to design training around the jobs available in local communities.

Some of the projects funded in the first funding round for 2026-27 include:

  • MRAEL Limited will support 32 young Queenslanders in Rockhampton to gain practical construction skills and industry recognised qualifications.
  • Skill Centres Queensland will employ up to 85 trainees across the Darling Downs, Southwest and Wide Bay regions while they complete a Certificate I in Hospitality or Construction.
  • Ignite Your Opportunities project will support 40 Queenslanders across Gladstone and Rockhampton with construction and workplace qualifications, including high-demand tickets including forklift, confined spaces and working at heights.
  • Cairns Aviation Skills Centre will support 25 Cairns jobseekers to undertake practical aviation sheet metal training through an industry-led pilot project.
  • Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast will deliver three projects supporting up to 170 jobseekers to gain skills and qualifications in health and community services.
  • Australian Training Company will partner with Lendlease and the RNA Showgrounds to employ 30 trainees in Bowen Hills while they complete a Certificate I in Construction and work on Brisbane 2032-related projects.

Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates said the latest round of projects was focused on delivering Queenslanders skills for jobs that employers need filled.

“We’re backing these projects with a $46.2 million investment which will deliver Queenslanders practical skills, real experience and a clearer pathway into industries that need more workers,” Minister Bates said.

“That is how we build a stronger workforce and deliver better services through a stronger economy.

“Labor’s decade of decline created dire worker shortages across industries and around the State, which is why the Crisafulli Government is putting training where the jobs are and focusing on better outcomes for workers, employers and local communities.”

Skilling Queenslanders for Work supports the Right Skills Strategy 2025–28 by helping Queenslanders join the workforce or grow their skills.