Following a two day Jobs Summit held in Sydney, the New South Wales Premier has announced a number of initiatives including a lump sum payment which the Government says will make a significant contribution to retention of local industry jobs.
Among the news was a commitment to a further $2.5 million in funding to The Industry Capability Network NSW (ICN).
ICN chair, Heather Ridout, said the new funding for the organisation was a positive step, especially since ICN has delivered “extremely efficient Government sponsored programs of support for local industry” for the last 23 years.
The ICN has created some 3,000 jobs in NSW over the past year alone, said Ridout.
“The additional $2.5 million in funding for the ICN is a welcome boost for the organisation. It will allow the ICN to play an even more important role in ensuring that the financial stimulus being provided to the economy by Government will translate into orders for local companies and into jobs for local workers,” Ridout said.
“ICN’s role will be especially important in regional NSW where the organisation maintains eight offices, in addition to its Sydney office. The regional offices of ICN have been extremely successful in stimulating local and global opportunities for local industry across all sectors.
“ICN is well known and highly respected by many leading Australian and multi national companies for its work in stimulating opportunities for local industry. The increased funding announced by the Premier will enable ICN to employ more consultants to ensure that local companies receive the necessary support to successfully compete against overseas companies in both local and global markets.”
The Premier’s support for ICN is an acknowledgement of the efforts of the independent Board of ICN (NSW), which includes representatives of the NSW Government, the Australian Industry Group, NSW Business Chamber, Unions NSW and several local companies who have maintained ongoing support for the organisation.