CQUniversity has welcomed the announcement of almost $2 million in Federal Government funding for the establishment of Place-Based Education Pathways at the Gladstone and Mackay campuses. 

The campus grants of $991,000 each were provided from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Diversity and Structural Adjustment Fund.

Dr Pierre Viljoen welcomes the funding support

They will provide a platform to develop solutions to support the local labour recruitment, development and retention strategies of business and industry in Central Queensland.

The model will seek to coordinate an integrated learning and educational platform for a wide range of learners and employees via a suite of programs offered across education organisations in a One Stop Shop for Education and Training.

This project and the accompanying funding will allow Gladstone and Mackay campuses to start to respond more comprehensively to employer requirements as well as to employee and student learning needs.

 The model will allow for :

- multiple points of student entry and exit

- coordination with regional industry skills needs, and

- academic, professional, para-professional and training recognition.

Mackay's Dr Trevor Davison will have a key role

Delighted at the announcement, Dr Pierre Viljoen, Head of CQUniversity's Gladstone Campus said:

"Ultimately we aim to construct a 'stairway of education services' that matches changing career pathways modelled on labour demands. This will enable students to access a greater range of opportunities and enable regional growth by providing employer-linked study opportunities within the region."

Head of Mackay Campus Dr Trevor Davison said this latest funding was a major boon and integral to the future success of the Knowledge Village.

"Just as building infrastructure is important, we also need the people on the ground to forge connections between the Knowledge Village tenants and their industry partners in the Mackay region," he said.

"This funding will help provide the people to make those connections to ensure we have the best pathways in place."