The skills and employability of job seekers in Northern Adelaide will be boosted with the opening of a new career centre in Salisbury.

The Northern Adelaide Career and Workforce Development Centre will be jointly opened this morning by the Federal Minister for Employment Participation, Brendan O’Connor, and South Australia’s Employment Minister, Paul Caica.

The Centre, which will operate from 8 John Street, Salisbury, will assist people of all ages to enter training, find employment, or make changes to their career.

It will also strengthen the ties between industry bodies and major employers in the region.

“The Centre will help job seekers in this region increase their skills and employability and will help local industry to find a suitably skilled workforce,” Mr O’Connor said.

“It will provide a one stop shop with access to resources and links to agencies, organisations and services which deal with job opportunities for people within the Adelaide’ Northern region.

“Today’s opening is a significant step in helping both young people and mature-aged workers in this region.”

Minister Caica says the Northern Adelaide Centre builds on the success of similar Career Development Centres he has opened in SA over the last two years in Mount Gambier, Murray Bridge, the Adelaide Hills, Whyalla and Port Augusta.

“Our Career Development Centres are providing sustainable employment opportunities for people in the regions in which they live, by focussing on the skill needs of local industry.

“Like the other five centres we’ve established, the Northern Adelaide Centre will assist people who are unemployed, underemployed or seeking a career change.

“The approach is to primarily focus on assisting people in the early stages of job seeking, with the aim of breaking the cycle of unemployment as early as possible.

The Northern Adelaide Career and Workforce Development Centre has been established with $450,000 funding from the SA and Commonwealth Governments, Career Advice Australia Initiative, the City of Salisbury, Northern Futures Inc and the Innovation Economic Opportunity group, together with a donation of computers from UniSA.

29 July 2008