Regional workforce systems
Published on 11 July 2025
Regional workforce challenges can't be solved with workforce solutions alone. A mining town needs more than mining jobs—it needs housing that workers can afford, training pathways that create career progression, transport systems that connect workers to opportunities, and infrastructure that makes the region attractive for families, not just individuals. Most regional workforce development treats these elements separately, creating expensive programs that solve one piece while ignoring the systemic barriers that undermine long-term success.
Our work involves:
- Workforce strategy design — aligning regional priorities with national policy levers, industry needs, and infrastructure planning
- Labour market analysis and modelling — identifying role-level capability gaps and designing pathways to fill them
- Training and skills pipeline design — working with RTOs and industry to build progression frameworks tied to actual workforce needs
- Migration program integration — using DAMA, skilled migration, and PALM as structural tools, not just supply responses
- Housing and infrastructure alignment — advising on planning and investment to make workforce attraction and retention viable
Regional workforce systems become self-reinforcing when they're designed with sufficient complexity. Energy transition regions need workforces that can build renewable projects, housing that supports construction teams, training that creates long-term career opportunities, and infrastructure that makes these places liveable for young families. Mining regions need diversification strategies that use existing workforce capability while building new industry pathways. Agricultural areas need processing and value-add opportunities that create year-round employment tied to seasonal production cycles.
Effective regional workforce development creates places where people choose to build careers, not just take jobs.