The State Government has signed up to the Federal Government's Skilling Australians Fund National Partnership, making up to $126 million available to create thousands of jobs for apprenticeships and traineeships. In addition, the national partnership will provide funding for thousands of pre-apprenticeships - a career pathway strongly supported by industry. 
Key to the national partnership is a State Government employer incentive scheme that will provide training support to employers, including small businesses. Funded from changes to payroll tax exemptions for traineeships and the national partnership, the scheme will enable the Government to target assistance to better meet the State's workforce priorities.
Industry will be consulted throughout the development of the incentive scheme to ensure it meets the sector's needs and encourages high-quality, on-the-job training.
The national partnership funding will also be used for skills development to support the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Read more.

Premier Mark McGowan launched the International Education in Western Australia strategy 2018-2025 in Perth on 23 October. The plan was developed in partnership with StudyPerth.
It aims to grow the number of students from around the world coming to study in Perth by highlighting the unique learning experiences and environments Perth has to offer. 
The strategy is separated into three distinct sections, showing Perth is a perfect place for students to live, learn and launch.

The strategy can be accessed via this link 

The State Government has announced a series of local grants for Peel-based grassroots sporting clubs. Allocated as part of the Government's 2018-19 Regional Grants Scheme, six Peel cricket, hockey, netball, basketball, soccer and AFL associations will share in $72,500 of funding to support community sport in the region.
The commitment reflects the Government's support for grassroots sport in country areas, with local clubs in places such as the Peel region often the foundation of their communities. This funding support will help Peel clubs continue their long tradition of developing quality local talent with potential to reach the elite level in their given sport. Read more about the allocations to the clubs here.

Works to upgrade the sporting facilities at HBF Arena in Joondalup have commenced. The facilities are shared by local netball, rugby union, little athletics and triathlon clubs, and will benefit thousands of junior and senior athletes every season.
The current Joondalup Sports Club building will be extended to include two new multi-use change rooms catering to the demands of ever-increasing membership. Upgrades to the facilities will also include extending current fencing, a new storage facility, office space, and the installation of additional water fountains.
Sporting clubs have been involved in the design process to ensure the upgrades will provide maximum benefit to members. Funded through the Local Projects, Local Jobs initiative, the project will deliver improved facilities for clubs and provide local jobs during the construction phase. The extension to the Joondalup Sports Club building is expected to be completed in April 2019. Read more.

People with disability in the South-West region now have greater access to Bunbury Bowling Club facilities with the official opening of the club's accessible bowling green. The wheelchair-accessible synthetic bowling green received $200,000 in funding from the State Government to improve active participation opportunities at the club.
Additional wheelchair friendly alterations to the club include the installation of an automatic door to the clubhouse, ramps to the bowling greens, the levelling of outside paving areas and new fencing and gates.
The remaining funding for the $300,000 project was contributed by the Bunbury Bowling Club, along with considerable in-kind support from the club. Read more.

​Western Australians are urged to nominate their heritage heroes for the Heritage Council's prestigious WA Heritage Awards. 

The State Government awards recognise the outstanding contribution of owners, volunteers, professionals and organisations who work to promote and conserve WA's cultural heritage.
The awards, now in their 27th year, are an opportunity to showcase the excellent work in revitalising State Registered heritage places, setting standards in interpretation, heritage tourism, conservation and adaptive reuse.

More information on the 2019 WA Heritage Awards can be found online at 
http://www.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/awards 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is interacting with other socio-economic and demographic factors to create a perfect storm of business model change in all industries, resulting in major disruptions to labour markets. New categories of jobs will emerge, partly or wholly displacing others. The skill sets required in both old and new occupations will change in most industries and transform how and where people work. It may also affect female and male workers differently and transform the dynamics of the industry gender gap.
The World Economic Forum has released The Future of Jobs Report 2018, which aims to unpack and provide specific information on the relative magnitude of these trends by industry and geography, and on the expected time horizon for their impact to be felt on job functions, employment levels and skills. The report can be found here.

An advisory group that will develop strategies and initiatives to improve gender diversity in the sport and recreation industry met for the first time on Friday, October 12. The Gender Diversity Advisory Group will facilitate industry input and feedback to improve and sustain diversity, and provide recommendations to the State Government.
The group comprises 13 members with a mix of interests and experience including backgrounds in business, community, not-for-profit, education, and sport and recreation. The initial focus of the group will be to look at ways to increase gender diversity in sport and recreation leadership positions.
The group will share knowledge and experience, identify contemporary gender diversity issues affecting the sport and recreation industry and encourage the exploration of new ideas. It is expected to meet up to four times a year, reporting back to the State Government with recommendations on ways to increase gender diversity in sport and recreation. Read more.

The State Government has announced a historic reform package for the racing industry with the objective of securing its long-term sustainability. The Government will move forward with the sale of the WA TAB and also introduce a 'point of consumption tax' which streamlines taxes for the industry, while also ensuring that foreign-owned corporate bookmakers pay their fair share. The changes follow extensive consultation with the racing industry and other stakeholders.
The next major milestone for the sale of the TAB will be the introduction of enabling legislation into State Parliament early in 2019, which will set out the framework for establishing the new wagering licence regime and racing industry funding model. Read more.

Local community and sporting organisations are being encouraged to apply to share in $1 million in funding from the State Government's Targeted Participation Program (TPP). The TPP provides funding to organisations to promote participation from people and social groups which often do not engage with sport or recreation. The program has this year already awarded grants of up to $150,000 to important community sport organisations including Edmund Rice Centre, Communicare, the Wirrpanda Foundation, and Koya Aboriginal Corporation.
Applications are now open for projects in the $1,000-$15,000 and $15,001-$50,000 grant categories. The program targets projects that increase participation in physical activity and encourage pathways into community sport and active recreation. Funding may be used for such things as training volunteers, workshops, venue and equipment hire, transport and travel and administration. State sporting associations, peak industry bodies, community organisations, local government and clubs are each eligible in certain categories.
For more information, application deadlines and how to apply, visit here.