For the second year in succession, a Goulburn Valley delegation is attending the Melbourne Career Expo, in the hope it can entice much-needed workers to make the shift north.
Greater Shepparton City Council’s marketing team, along with some of the region’s major employers, interest groups and educational institutions, will be selling the region’s attractions as much as its jobs when they attend the expo at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from Friday, July 14 to Sunday, July 16.
Community Connector co-ordinator with the Committee for Greater Shepparton Fiona Blick says one of the delegation’s main messages will be the lifestyle on offer in the region.
“(We’ll be) Selling that the Commonwealth Games are going to be here, so you’re not just in a little parochial outpost — this is a hub, a thriving centre,” Ms Blick said.
“Showing them SAM, the Shepparton Art Museum, and how brilliant some of those programs are, and having all of those things that are just amazing, but people might not necessarily consider or they wouldn’t consider when they’re choosing where should we go for employment.”
With 11 campuses, including three in Shepparton, and 500 staff, GOTAFE has a two-pronged approach to the expo.
“There’s two messages. The first one is it’s a great place to train and learn from a student’s perspective and an opportunity to be a future employee, but the other one is to attract employees to come to the Shepparton region,” GOTAFE director of student success Luke Falzon said.
“We know there are a lot of opportunities in Shepparton, it’s very culturally diverse, there are a lot of investment opportunities and we think that Shepparton is a great place for people to come and start fresh if they’re wanting to do that.
Greater Shepparton City Council partnerships and marketing co-ordinator Liz Connick said the region’s presence at the expo last year revealed a startling fact.
“There’s a lot of Melbourne people who still don’t know where Shepparton is, so it’s really important for us to be seen and heard,” she said.
Local businesses have been urged to register any job vacancies through the online GROW Greater Shepparton Jobs Board (growgreatershepparton.com.au/), as it will be promoted at the expo as the place to go to find jobs in the region.