The Victorian Government has opened the new North East Link Skills and Jobs Centre in Watsonia, a “one-stop-shop” to connect locals to the 10,000 jobs on offer through the project.
Jobseekers are invited to walk-in and explore opportunities in areas like engineering and construction trades, traffic management, conservation land management and administration.
The centre will also support employers and industry by connecting them with workers and provide opportunities to develop and expand.
Victorian Minister for Training and Skills, Gayle Tierney, said the centre was helping to create a pipeline of skilled workers to help build Victoria’s future.
Member for Bundoora, Colin Brooks, said, “This new centre will be a point of contact for local jobseekers, employers and industry – removing barriers and creating meaningful pathways right here in Bundoora and around the state.”
The North East Link project is the biggest road project in Victoria’s history, and is supported by the $33 million Big Build Apprenticeships program.
The Big Build Apprenticeship program will provide 1,500 opportunities to Victorian apprentices and trainees each year for four years to kickstart their careers on projects, including the new Footscray Hospital and Warrnambool Learning and Library Hub.
At least 10 per cent of the construction hours on these projects will be completed by apprentices and trainees, strengthening pathways from the classroom to the workforce. Additionally, 2.5 per cent of the workforce will be Indigenous Australians.
Early works on North East Link have already provided job opportunities to 64 apprentices, trainees and cadets who have worked more than 70,000 hours.
The Skills and Jobs Centre has been launched in partnership with Apprenticeships Victoria, which coordinates and oversees all aspects of the delivery of apprenticeships and forms a key part of the Victorian Government’s unprecedented investment in the training and skills sector.
The North East Link Skills and Jobs Centre is open from 10am – 5pm on weekdays at 17 Watsonia Rd, Watsonia.
Once the North East Link is built, it will take 15,000 trucks off local roads and cut more than an hour off a return trip from the eastern suburbs to the airport.
