RAPAD Skilling to close after more than 15 years supporting regional training

The Remote Area Planning and Development Board (RAPAD) will commence an orderly closure of RAPAD Skilling and voluntarily withdraw its registration as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).

This decision follows an independent review undertaken by professionals in the sector looking into the financial and operational sustainability and options for its future.

RAPAD Skilling has delivered accredited training across Central Western Queensland and beyond for more than 15 years, helping regional workers, businesses and councils access qualifications and skills that were once extremely difficult to obtain locally.

RAPAD Chair Cr Tony Rayner said the difficult but logical decision reflected a very different training environment to the one in which RAPAD Skilling was established.

“RAPAD Skilling grew from a genuine regional demand at a time when accessing accredited training in our communities was extremely difficult,” Cr Rayner said.

“It has served the region well, and we are proud of the hundreds of people who are ‘trained in the Outback, ready for the world’ with skills and qualifications gained through RAPAD Skilling.”

Cr Rayner said the training sector and the region’s needs had changed significantly during that time.

“More RTOs are now delivering into regional Queensland, technology has transformed how training can be accessed, and the regulatory and administrative requirements of operating an RTO have continued to grow,” he said.

“For a not-for-profit, regional organisation delivering relatively small cohorts across a very large geographic area, maintaining a broad RTO scope has become increasingly difficult and costly.”

“This is the right time to bring RAPAD Skilling’s role as an RTO to a close in an orderly way, while making sure our current students, employers and staff are properly supported,” Cr Rayner said.

RAPAD will work with regulators, employers and other registered training organisations to meet its obligations and establish appropriate completion or transfer arrangements for every current student. Students and employers will be contacted directly regarding their individual circumstances and do not need to take any immediate action.

RAPAD CEO Morgan Gronold said the work behind RAPAD Skilling would leave a lasting legacy as RAPAD continued to respond to the evolving needs of the region.

“RAPAD Skilling is just one way we have worked with councils, industry and community for more than three decades to enable access to the skills, education and workforce pathways our communities need,” Mr Gronold said.

“This work has included the initiation of RESQ, which continues to grow as an independent business to deliver employment and training programs across Central Western Queensland with a strong focus on Indigenous participation.

“Red Ridge (Interior Queensland) opens creative pathways through workshops, training, events and social enterprise like The Lost Art in Blackall.”

“Most recently RAPAD and its seven member councils reached another major milestone for the region with the establishment of the CWQ RAPAD Country Universities Centre, with study hubs across the region supporting the growing demand for tertiary education and online study.

“This is another chapter for the Central West, and we’ll continue to work with governments, industry and the education and training sector to secure opportunities that support our region’s workforce and training development, and economic diversification,” Mr Gronold said.

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Contact:

Morgan Gronold – mgronold@rapad.com.au

0448 739 759