As Gladstone's resource boom continues, a forum is being held to find the best ways to attract, train and retain women within industrial and resource sector workforces.

Interested employer representatives are welcome to attend the forum to be hosted by a multi-disciplinary team of CQUniversity researchers, from 10am to 2pm on Wednesday November 21 at the Leo Zussino Building on CQUniversity Gladstone Campus. RSVPs are via c.prizeman@cqu.edu.au .

Associate Professor Bobby Harreveld, Dr Prue Howard and Dr Ros Cameron have gained Vice-Chancellor's Engaged Research Initiative funding to undertake a scoping study to determine the needs and issues of the major industrial, construction and manufacturing employers in the Gladstone region in terms of attracting, training and retaining women within their respective workforces.

"Women are an underutilised labour resource for the region, with full-time participation rates 1.3% lower than the State average," says Dr Cameron.

"The Gladstone region is front and centre of Australia's evolving economic growth with 35% or some $45 billion, of investment being delivered in the region.

"The community and its workforce are familiar with the boom-bust cycles of industrial development, however the impending number of large infrastructure projects, and the timing of their development, will place unprecedented demands on the availability of a highly skilled workforce."

The scoping project will undertake a focused stakeholder analysis through a series of invitational meetings and focus groups with representatives and members of two major employer groups: Gladstone Industry Leadership Group (GILG) and Gladstone Engineering Alliance (GEA).