Through Champion Redlands Coast we’re making sure young people are given every opportunity to achieve their goals. That’s why the Redlands Chamber of Commerce has made securing new investment in education and training in the region, one of its four key priorities.
Despite being home to a number of high-quality public and private schools as well as Alexandra Hills’ popular TAFE campus, statistics show Redlands Coast youth are often forced to leave the region due to the lack of options available locally to them and are therefore less likely to further their education or training than those in Brisbane.
We strongly believe that our young people should have the same opportunities to further their skills as those in Logan, Ipswich, Brisbane or Caboolture.
As the largest city in South East Queensland without a university, the Redlands Coast Chamber of Commerce is championing the need to encourage key decision makers to invest in, and open, new tertiary facilities to ensure our young people can continue their education and careers at home.
Our advocacy is backed by the findings from our recent research reports which confirm that with our aging population and lack of diversity of tertiary and training options, the competitive advantage the Redlands Coast will be put at risk as our young people move away to further their education and careers.
By securing new tertiary and training options for the Redlands Coast, we will further enhance our reputation as a dynamic and competitive destination for investment and skilled workers.
Our ambition to secure new tertiary and training options has the support of the more than 110 local business leaders who attended this year’s education focussed Redlands Coast Futures Forum.
As one of our signature events, the Future Forum provides an opportunity for decision makers, business leaders and the community to come together and identify what needs to be done to ensure the Redlands Coast can meet the needs of a growing population.
At the recent Redlands Coast Futures Forum, industry, training providers, local youth, jobs seekers, job providers, and government from across the community came together to identify the flagship, high, and medium priority actions that need to be taken to ensure our region continues to prosper.
With education and training being one of the four key pillars behind the growth of our local economy, the Futures Forum provided a medium for those in attendance to discuss and workshop what must be done to ensure our area remains a dynamic and competitive destination for skilled workers.
The priority actions developed for Education and Training from these engagement sessions and the research were identified as:
- University presence attraction – Flagship
- Industry-education pathway profiles – High
- Small and micro business simulation training – Medium
- Career pathways information programs – High
- School/university student workforce placement program – Medium
Education And Training – Flagship Action Profile (University Presence)
Key location drivers:
- Concentration of pre-university younger people
- TAFE proximity/collocation opportunities
- Access to high capacity and quality broadband/dark fibre
- Colocation with retail, café/restaurant
Potential economic benefits/impacts:
- Increased educated participation rates
- Younger age profile in the region
- Higher rates of post-school student retention
- Increased tertiary education and business partnerships
- Increased local expenditure in retail/café/restaurant sectors
- Medium term business growth potent
