Redland City Council today received two strategies and action plans to inform its efforts to drive economic and employment growth in the Redlands.
Redland City Acting Mayor Wendy Boglary said the Education and Training and Health Care and Social Assistance Industry Sector Strategies and Action Plans were a key part of the City’s economic framework and would deliver untapped economic opportunities.
“In 2015 Council endorsed the Redland City Economic Development Framework, which identified eight key industry sectors as drivers of our city’s future growth,” Cr Boglary said.
“We are in the process of delivering action plans for eight industry sectors to implement the framework at an operational level. These action plans focus on areas where Council has the capacity to act, or provide influence, at a very practical level.
“With the tourism sector action plan already being implemented, the education and training and health and social assistance industry sectors were identified as priority areas by the Economic Development Advisory Board.”
“Following today’s receipt of these reports, officers now have three months to report back to Council, outlining the delivery and implementation schedules for both strategies.
Education and training is the Redlands’ fourth largest industry by employment, with its Industry Sector Strategy and Action Plan focusing on five key strategies to encourage further growth and investment.
“Redland City already has a number of first-class education providers with strong international reputations and the report received today makes recommendations on how we can further strengthen this sector,” Cr Boglary said.
“This will include growing the international education market and cultivating a local university sector,” Cr Boglary said.
“The strategy also identifies the need for a centre of excellence in education for the ageing, the importance of engaging the community in lifelong learning and the development of a health and education precinct.”
The second strategy and action plan focusses on health care and social assistance, the city’s most productive industry, growing strongly primarily due to the city’s ageing population.
“The Health Care and Social Assistance Industry Sector Strategy and Action Plan centres around facilitating the creation of health services to meet our growing needs; capitalising on Redland City being a destination of choice for retirement living; and ensuring we support the efforts of disability and aged care networks and service providers in our inclusive community.
“Future lifestyle in Redlands, and local job creation, relies on the business and industry sectors coming together with community, and these strategies set out ways Council can actively contribute to, or enable, this to occur.
“We are looking forward to working with stakeholders to ensure we are successful in meeting our City’s economic ambitions.”
The Redland City Economic Development Framework charts a course to achieve 30,000 new jobs and increase the city’s gross regional product to $6.8 billion by 2041.
The eight identified key growth sectors are:
- Construction
- Education and training
- Financial and Insurance services and Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- Health Care and Social Assistance
- Manufacturing
- Retail Trade
- Rural enterprises, and
- Tourism