Cause for GORRT: tourism body gets strategy funding

THE state government has provided a grant to a local tourism body to help communities develop local workforces.

Minister for Regional Development Jaala Pulford announced that $220,000 from the Regional Skills Fund would go to Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism (GORRT) to deliver a project that developed workforce planning and development strategies for towns in its catchment.

“This funding is about identifying the skills and strategies needed to build a workforce that can meet the needs of the growing visitor economy,” Ms Pulford said.

More than $350 million of large scale private sector development is planned for the Great Ocean Road region over the next five to 10 years, which is predicted to generate 500 construction jobs and 1,000 ongoing jobs.

The workforce planning and development strategies will help Surf Coast Shire, Colac Otway Shire and Corangamite Shire identify workforce needs in sectors such as construction, maintenance and housekeeping, visitor servicing, and hospitality.

GORRT chair Wayne Kayler-Thomson welcomed the announcement.

“This project is vital to developing practical solutions and strategies to grow the region’s future workforce,” he said.

“It will support and enable the private sector and help us grow the economic return from the visitor economy.”

The strategies will develop solutions to some challenges driven by the seasonal nature of the destinations and low population in some areas and will explore options to attract and retain skilled workers in the region.

The project aligns with the Great South Coast Regional Partnership’s priority to support a strong and diverse regional economy with more local jobs by developing the Great Ocean Road visitor economy.

GORRT, Surf Coast Shire, Colac Otway Shire and Corangamite Shire have each committed $20,000 to the project.