Business owners and managers on the Coast can take advantage of a free workforce planning course, being offered through a partnership between the University of the Sunshine Coast and the state government.
The course will help small and medium-sized businesses who are struggling to fill workforce shortages and provide the chance to upskill.
University of the Sunshine Coast Vice-Chancellor and president Professor Helen Bartlett said 370 business owners had registered for the similar Business Planning Course since its inception in 2020, and more than 80 had already signed up for the Workforce Planning Course in 2023.
“We developed the Business Planning Course in collaboration with industry when COVID hit to help guide businesses through particularly tough times, and it remains relevant today,” she said.
“It has been increasingly popular each year, so I’m sure there will be strong interest in the new Workforce Planning Course, as businesses aim to attract the workforce they need for success.”
Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer said the course would help businesses gain the skills needed to plan for the future.
“Small businesses owners have to be everything – HR, IT and marketing – so having a course that can help them with employment issues is critical in helping them to get on with their job” she said.
“The time and resources small businesses spend trying to fill labour shortages is already significant and the costs can keep adding up.
“The free Workforce Planning Course will be a valuable opportunity for businesses here on the Sunshine Coast and around the state, because it uses Jobs Queensland’s great Workforce Planning Connect resources and take advantage of the expertise and experience of the University of the Sunshine Coast staff.”
Jobs Queensland chair Donna Bonney said the partnership with UniSC would benefit participants and their businesses.
“Undertaking workforce planning can help businesses improve their workforce retention and productivity, and it can also identify their future skills needs so they can start working towards their longer-term goals now,” she said.
“Through this partnership with University of the Sunshine Coast, our resources will be used to help even more businesses across the state.”
Access the free Workforce Planning Connect resources here. For more on UniSC’s School of Business and Creative Industries short courses, including the Business Planning Course and Workforce Planning Course, click here.
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