A special report in The Sunday Mail on April 1 highlighted Queensland's struggle to find enough workers to drive major projects throughout the state to keep-up with our growing population.

Staffing gaps in infrastructure and resources are, of course, huge, but there is also a knock-on effect in areas such as accounting, IT, healthcare, sales and marketing and a future shortage predicted in areas such as property and business services, education and hospitality.

It has been reported that Queensland is facing a shortage of 40,000 workers over the next five years. The job market is more international than before and the salary gap between Queensland and cities like Melbourne and Sydney is closing fast, according to a recruitment specialist.

Central Queensland University graduates, however, are responding to that demand and achieving top-level positions.

According to The Good Universities Guide CQU is a national leader in graduate employment with rates  higher than the national average and the Queensland average in communications, education and training, engineering and technology, and nursing. In communications, education and engineering, CQU graduate employment rates also exceed the NSW and Victorian averages. On top of that CQU graduates' average starting salaries were above the Queensland average and national average in accounting, business and management, communications, education and training, engineering and technology, and nursing.

"Whatever field they are entering, with Integrated Workplace Learning a part of most programs, CQU graduates are not only very employable, but very well prepared to meet the challenges of their new career," according to the editors of The Good Universities Guide to CQU.

Download a free copy of the Good Universities independent assessment of CQU at the uni's homepage or enter www.cqu.edu.au/goodunireport into your browser. Or pick up a copy at the CQU information booth during Open Day.