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Areas - Disability - Indigenous - Rural & Remote - Urban - Years 9&10 - Pushing the Boundaries | |
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Urban Project
24-Nov-2000
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Transition to Process Manufacturing in Melbourne’s Western Region
ECEF Priority Areas project by Justine Clarke |
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| This year the project focusses on manufacturing businesses in the western region of Melbourne and on the creation of strong partnerships between industry and education. | |
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In 1999 the Western Melbourne Regional Economic Development Organisation developed a program focussing on transport distribution and logistics industries in the West. This year we have extended the model to focus on the raising a tangible awareness of the opportunities that exist in process manufacturing in the region. |
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Manufacturing in the western region of Melbourne in fact employs close to 40,000 people and is the single largest industry sector in the region with a growth rate of close to 15%. At the beginning of the project we conducted a survey of the secondary school students involved about their perception and understanding of what manufacturing actually involves and if they saw a future for them in the industry. The survey strongly indicated that students did not consider working in the area of manufacturing processing as a post-secondary school option either in terms of further study or employment. This is significantly disturbing when youth unemployment in the region is reported to be in the vicinity of 50% in the age group 17 to 20 years. We also surveyed a number of manufacturers and they indicated a significant difficulty attracting employees for their positions, particularly suitably skilled applicants. Schools and students within the City of Brimbank were chosen for this pilot project because the municipality is one of the most diverse, multicultural communities in Australia and is home to a number of high profile process manufacturing businesses. Companies involved in the project include: Qantas Don Smallgoods Huntsman Chemicals and Plastics Simplot MacGregor Freight Services Yamasa Seafood Meadow Lea Dairy Bell MGH Plastics Industries 3PP Claytons Kitchens This year, the project involves both the Victorian Food Industries Training Board and Manufacturing Learning Victoria as well as the City of Brimbank, Victoria University, Kangan Batman TAFE, Workplace Learning Melbourne West, North West WEDG and the Western Melbourne Regional Economic Development Organisation. The project combines a variety of experiences including work placement with manufacturers; interviews with young people employed in these industries to profile their career paths; a business growth bus tour; practical, hands-on training sessions at the polymers training department of TAFE recycling plastics into coathangers and bookmarks; and talks by the relevant industry training boards. The Brimbank City Council are also undertaking a ‘Youth Needs Analysis’ and the students from this project have offered to take part in this initiative. Part way through their program, on Wednesday 11 October, the students involved presented their findings at the WREDO networking breakfast attracting some 200 business people. This breakfast focussed on Manufacturing in the region. The keynote speakers at this breakfast included the Honourable Rob Hulls, Minister for Manufacturing and Attorney General in Victoria, and Mr Paul Bradbury, Director of Claytons Kitchens. |
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Key contact: |
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Jacqueline Phillips WREDO ph 03 9688 0343 |
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