Funded by the Department of Industry and Investment the project, being overseen by the Gloucester Chamber of Commerce, aims to develop a pilot program, that enhances skills and helps businesses in Gloucester grow, that can be replicated across the state.

The project has grown out of a skills audit conducted in 2006.

NSW Department of Education and Training representative Jim Frayne said the two year project is about helping Gloucester’s workforce development.

He said it was about developing strategies and actions to enhance skills and working with employers and industries to identify what skills are needed in the region.

Mr Frayne said the project will result in ongoing skill development and “strategies that can be put into a model that can be replicated in other regions.”

Project officer Geoff Marshall said the project will produce outcomes such as training requirements and developing courses in Gloucester to meet those needs.

Already slated, a welding course offered by TAFE in Gloucester, with others addressing hospitality industry needs on the drawing board.

Cr Ian Shaw officially launched the project and said it would provide, in particular, local students and youth, with pathways to train.

Cr Shaw said the training processes developed locally would help communities across the state.

“Let’s get this forward and show the rest of NSW what can be done,” he said.

The project has been funded for a period of two years.