Linking skills development to employment opportunities : The Parramatta Skills Development and Employment Generation Project

Contemporary research has emphasised the important role that lifelong learning and skills development can play in contributing to personal and regional prosperity (Bain, Mortimer and Bond, 2002). To be effective, however, skills development must be linked not only to the needs of the target population but also to the skills needs of industries and the employment opportunities as they are manifest or have the potential to exist in any region. The Parramatta Skills Development and Employment Generation Project responds to these multi-faceted challenges and aims to provide a foundation for improving labour market access and progress for targeted disadvantaged groups in the Parramatta region by encouraging skills acquisitions reflective of local employment opportunities. The paper will discuss key aspects of the project’s methodology which seeks to uncover valuable information on the skills development needs of the target population and link these with the needs of local employers. In particular, the paper highlights the important role that the Western Sydney Jobs Vacancy Survey will play in identifying regional employment opportunities and reports on key findings with a particular focus on the 2001-2003 period