Addressing Skills Shortfalls in Mackay, Australia

The region of Mackay in Australia has experienced unprecedented growth and wealth creation since 2004, putting significant pressure on company development. In response, manufacturing companies in Mackay have formed an industry cluster named "Mackay Area Industry Network" (MAIN) with the purpose of addressing skills shortages quickly and effectively. The result was the MAIN CARE programme – a programme designed to recruit, select and manage apprentices in the workplace. The main success of the scheme has been improving retention rates within the apprenticeship programmes which previously had high drop-out rates. This chapter situates the approach within wider skills strategies in Queensland, and assesses whether an employer-led approach can fully integrate hard-to-reach groups into the workforce development system.