City of Parramatta will work with TAFE NSW to establish the Parramatta Skills Exchange (PSX) to provide industry-based opportunities for young, unemployed and under-employed workers.
The initiative will form a key part of a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will be signed on 1 July to strengthen local jobs growth and foster a closer partnership between City of Parramatta and TAFE NSW.
“The MoU will see Council work more closely with TAFE NSW to provide opportunities for those in the community who are unemployed or under-employed. The Parramatta Skills Exchange is a pre-employment program that will provide opportunities to work on some of the biggest developments in the city,” City of Parramatta Administrator Amanda Chadwick said.
“The PSX is based on the award-winning Barangaroo Skills Exchange (BSX) and we are aiming to replicate the success of that program in Parramatta. Participants will have the opportunity to work on development sites with values in excess of $50 million and receive on the job training as they go. Already, approximately 10,000 people have received training through the BSX including 700 apprentices.
“Parramatta is becoming the Smart City for education with a number of providers now offering the highest quality learning opportunities. This latest MoU comes on the back of other existing agreements with Western Sydney University (WSU) and the University of New England (UNE).”
TAFE Western Sydney Director Robin Shreeve said he is excited to be partnering with City of Parramatta Council to deliver these important initiatives.
“As Sydney’s second CBD and pivotal to the growth of New South Wales, Parramatta needs a forward-thinking skills model that focuses on the jobs of the future. This partnership will ensure Parramatta has the training, skills and capability which will enable it to become Australia’s leading ‘Smart City’,” Mr Shreeve said.
City of Parramatta and TAFE NSW will work together to identify a suitable site for the PSX over the coming months with the aim of having the facility fully operational in 2017.
