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Grow Your Own – Arts, Cultural and Creativity Industry

RAPAD is partnering with Jobs Queensland to develop a workforce plan to support a ‘grow your own’ workforce for the arts, cultural and creative Industry in Central West Queensland (CWQ).

The Grow Your Own Regional Workforce model is about looking at the workforce that is available locally and upskilling, reskilling and developing them to address the workforce needs collaboratively and locally.

RAPAD Region Arts, Cultural and Creative workforce

Our Grow Your Own project, delivered in partnership with Jobs Queensland, focused on building long-term capability and opportunity in the arts, cultural and creative industry.

Central Western Queensland has a rich and diverse arts, cultural and creative heritage shaped by its striking landscape and the resilience of its communities. Arts, culture and creativity are deeply woven into the social, economic and environmental fabric of our region, and make a significant contribution to community identity, wellbeing and resilience.

Key outcomes of this project was an Environmental Scan and a Workforce Development Plan.

RAPAD Region Arts, Cultural and Creative workforce
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(07) 4652 5660

RAPAD Region Environmental Scan

This Environmental Scan report identifies the challenges and opportunities facing the arts, cultural and creative industry in CWQ. It informed the development of the regional workforce development plan.

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RAPAD Region Workforce Development Plan

This plan provides a pathway for the arts, cultural and creative industry in the RAPAD region.

Implementation of the actions within this plan will support the industry by considering workforce supply and demand and improving workforce diversity, attraction and retention; supporting business capability; enhancing training and education pathways and opportunities and future skills needs.

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Regional Community Workshops

Workshops were held across the region and online in July 2025 to bring community together to develop a regional workforce plan for the arts, cultural and creative industries.

The workshops focused on industry-led, community-centered problem solving to drive local solutions to workforce challenges. Community members also had a chance to contribute to the workforce plan via an online survey.

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Project background

DOWNLOAD THE PROJECT FACTSHEET

 

Who is Jobs Queensland?

Jobs Queensland provides strategic advice to the Queensland Government on future workforce planning and development. Their future-focussed and place-based work and engagement brings together industry, regions, employers and the community to identify and address future workforce demands.

Why the arts, cultural and creative industries in CWQ?

Research by the Regional Australia Institute highlights a clear link between the presence of creative industries in small to mid-sized towns and improved perceptions of liveability. This underscores that workforce planning in the arts, cultural and creative industries in CWQ is not only important for the industry itself, but also vital to the long-term sustainability and vibrancy of the region.

Workforce planning will help address a range of industry-specific challenges. The industry encompasses a highly diverse array of roles, from individual practitioners to larger organisations employing many people. A strategic workforce development plan will support this diversity while also responding to persistent issues, including the high levels of unpaid and voluntary work and the strongly gendered nature of the workforce, where women are significantly overrepresented. These dynamics raise important considerations regarding remuneration, recognition, visibility and the broader value placed on creative work.

The plan will also explore opportunities to build a more inclusive industry, one that better reflects and supports First Nations communities and people with disability.

A locally led workforce plan, grounded in regional strengths and aspirations, is essential. By leveraging the unique landscape, cultural richness, remoteness and strong community spirit of CWQ, the plan can attract, retain and support a skilled creative workforce, from both within the region and beyond. This is a powerful opportunity to ‘grow our own’ workforce and secure the future of arts, culture and creativity across the region.

This project was proudly supported and funded by the Queensland Government through Jobs Queensland.