As the school year wraps up Member for Burdekin Dale Last has sent a timely message to those school leavers seeking opportunities to stay close to home.

Mr Last said while the agriculture sector remained the Burdekin’s key economic contributor, it relied on a strong local manufacturing industry to support it.

“I’ve always said the Burdekin punches well above its weight and our manufacturers are certainly no exception,” Mr Last said.

“As major supporters of our agriculture industry, it is important that we ensure our tradespeople have a strong future with opportunities for our young people to learn from the skilled workforce we have.”

“My message to school leavers still looking for a chance to enter a vocational education and training pathway is there could be an opportunity not too far from your own backyard.”

“We are fortunate to have so many opportunities to support our young people right here in our town, no matter whether you are considering hairdressing, tyre fitting, plumbing or an engineering trade.”

Mr Last said having heard from stakeholders about how to best support local industries he was determined to ensure the Burdekin community was able to not only attract new skilled members to its workforce but foster the developing skills among its youth.

“As the Member for Burdekin I have always and will continue to, advocate for opportunities that allow those young people who choose to stay in their hometown and take up an apprenticeship, to do so,” Mr Last said.

“I want to see all stakeholders, from our TAFE college to local business owners and chambers of commerce working collaboratively to foster our next generation of tradesmen and women.”

“We know that in our regional and rural townships, having the ability to not only train but retain our young people ensures that our industries and the communities that support them, are able to thrive into the future and the Burdekin is no exception to this.”