Industry Engagement Strengthened Through Townsville Site Visits

David Forbes, Regional Industry Engagement Manager, and Anna Jerrems, Maritime Industry Engagement Manager, recently travelled to Townsville to deliver a regional industry roundtable. The visit also provided an opportunity to strengthen regional connections through a series of targeted site visits with key organisations supporting workforce development and industry growth.

“Spending time on the ground in regions like Townsville is critical,” David Forbes said. “It allows us to hear directly from industry and partners about what’s working, where the challenges are, and how we can better support a sustainable workforce.”

Regional Development Australia Townsville & North West Queensland

The visit included time to meet with Regional Development Australia (RDA) Townsville & North West Queensland, who also hosted the regional roundtable. They play a key role in facilitating and advocating for sustainable economic development through collaboration with regional stakeholders. Over time, RDA Townsville & North West Queensland have developed a strong and well‑established network of transport supply chain stakeholders across the region.

Workforce Australia – Local Jobs

The team met with Workforce Australia – Local Jobs, engaging with Job Coordinator Steph Nicolaou. Discussions focused on local employment pathways, regional workforce priorities, local jobs taskforces, and the support services available to job seekers and employers across the region.

Townsville Helicopters

They detoured to a site visit with to Townsville Helicopters, a local provider of helicopter pilot training and aviation services. David and Anna toured the facility, saw its operations firsthand, and learned more about its successful pilot training programs and aviation career pathways available in the region.

“Townsville Helicopters is a great example of how regional businesses are creating specialised, high‑skill career pathways locally,” David said. “It highlights the extent of opportunities available across the aviation and transport sectors.”

Oakdare Holdings and Careers in Gears

The team were privileged to visit Oakdare Holdings, a Queensland‑based business specialising in bulk haulage services. During the visit, they met with Tayla Connolly, who plays a leading role within Oakdare Holdings and is also the founder of Careers in Gears.

Established in 2025, Careers in Gears was created to address the challenges of an ageing transport workforce by connecting North Queensland students with real career opportunities in the transport industry. The program delivers interactive school presentations, workshops and industry tours, giving students direct exposure to the diverse roles that keep the transport sector moving.

The site visit highlighted the positive impact of industry‑led initiatives that actively engage young people, support workforce sustainability, and strengthen regional employment pipelines.

“Industry‑led initiatives like Careers in Gears show what’s possible when businesses take an active role in shaping their future workforce,” David said. “Early engagement with students is key to building long‑term workforce pipelines.”

The Townsville visit reinforced the importance of collaboration across industry, education and employment networks. By engaging directly with regional organisations and businesses, David and Anna gained valuable insights into local workforce priorities and identified opportunities to better support current and future skills needs across multiple sectors.