Members of an independent board, that advise the Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli, have described the training provided to Electrolux workers who face redundancies as “innovative”.
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The NSW Skills Board was in Orange for two days meeting with training providers to gain an understanding on the needs of regional communities when it comes to access to training providers.
The skills board is an independent panel that advises the minister on how to best meet the skills and training needs of individuals and industries across the state.
Chair of the board Philip Clark said he acknowledged there were different training needs in communities across the state.
“To have a truly flexible, efficient and responsive system we need to understand those needs by talking to key people in regional areas, like Orange.”
During his visit he spoke with Electrolux general manager Mark O’Kane, and Mr Clark said the state government funded training that had been administered to 420 Electrolux workers had been surprisingly effective.
He said he would report what he had learned back to the minister.
“The concept of taking people who are in one industry and getting them trained to find jobs in another industry is very innovative,” he said.
“Initially people thought ‘oh there’s no manufacturing I’ll never find a job’ but now they see they can find work elsewhere.”
The board members visited Cadia Valley Operations, TAFE Western, VERTO and Wangarang Industries during the time in Orange.
Mr Clark said the board would be back next year because it had barely scraped the surface of what it could learn from the city.
“We want to meet with people from the business sector, education and tourism sectors we haven’t been in touch with those grassroots areas.”
nicole.kuter@fairfaxmedia.com.au