A NEW hub to provide agricultural training to residents in the Burdekin region has opened in Ayr.
The Queensland Agricultural Training Colleges (QATC) premises has relocated from the old site in Giddy Road to a new building in Graham Street in a bid to provide broader and more comprehensive rural training programs.
But while the centre may be the headquarters for the college, QATC Instructor Rowan Scott said the service would be fully mobile.
“In my day to day work as a trainer of rural-related skills, I could be delivering training at a school in the region, on a commercial work site anywhere from Ingham to Bowen, or working with a community group at a public recreation area,” Mr Scott said.
“The service that is offered out of Ayr is equipped with chainsaws, quad bikes, side by side vehicles, chemical application tools, all fully transportable by trailers and utility vehicles.
“We take the training to the people.”
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said moving the local training service demonstrated the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to providing accessible and viable services to people in regional Queensland.
“There is a strong demand for flexible delivery of training via workshops, online courses, and workplace-based training throughout Queensland,” Mr Furner said.
“This training is vital to provide people in regional and rural Queensland with the skills they need to further their career, and as a consequence find meaningful employment close to home.”
Mr Furner said providing avenues for employment was a key plank of the Palaszczuk Government’s second-term agenda and he hoped jobs would be created in the Burdekin region.