TRAINEESHIP PROGRAM RELAUNCHED TO INCLUDE 22 SMALL LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES

Media Release, Traineeship ProgramLinkwest has issued the following press release in response to the relaunch of the traineeship program to support trainees in regional areas.
Traineeship Program relaunched to include 22 small Local Government AuthoritiesLinkwest, the Peak Body for Community Resource Centres (CRCs) and Neighbourhood Centres (NCs) in Western Australia, welcomes the relaunch of the traineeship program to support trainees in regional areas. For a number of years the traineeships provided under this program have been an important part of the CRC program as it enabled the network to build the capacity of local people in small towns across regional WA.   
We are delighted to see the level of investment into regional WA trainees and note that the program has been opened up to 22 smaller LGAs in regional WA that do not have a CRC within their boundary. With a total investment of $2 million into the program we believe it creates opportunities over a greater area of WA. It is particularly welcome as it is seen as a way of keeping small regional towns viable as the trainees stay in rural towns and gain skills, qualifications and further employment opportunities.
“The traineeship program has been a real success story for Community Resource Centres,” says Linkwest Chair, and Manager of the Pingelly CRC, Lee Steel. “Since its introduction, over 500 trainees have benefited from the program, learning valuable skills which can put them on the path to fulfilling careers in their local towns and beyond.”
One such success story is past Nannup CRC trainee Eleanor Ross (nee Cook), who was awarded the National Financial Advisor of the Year at the 2017 Women in Finance Awards.
As with any new or modified program, time will tell how this new traineeship funding model impacts local communities. There is some concern that CRCs with lesser resources than local shires may be disadvantaged in the competitive grant application progress. However, until the first grant round has been completed it is difficult to judge if this concern is justified.  As the Peak for CRCs we will support our members and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to ensure that this traineeship program has the best outcome for regional trainees. 


Download the release here.

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Your Linkwest team

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