Our places

Close-up of an industrial or laboratory setup with numerous interconnected pipes, valves, and measurement devices, including pressure gauges and sensors, with a white flooring and overhead lighting.

Our project is exploring how people are reskilling for the future of work at the national scale across Australia.

We’re also doing a deep dive into three places in regional Victoria to explore how different kinds of transformations are currently taking place in ways that are highly place-specific.

Map of Australia highlighting the state of Mildura in red and showing Melbourne as a gray dot.

Mildura

Mildura, located in northern Victoria, is a fascinating place through which to examine how communities are reskilling for the future of work. 

Traditionally dominated by agriculture, Mildura and the wider Mallee region is undergoing significant transformations that we are interesting in exploring in this project. There are several challenges that are shaping Mildura’s employment landscape, including:

Labour shortages 

Labour shortages are a persistent issue, driven by slow population growth and the outward migration of younger people to other parts of Victoria. These shortages have led some industries to depend heavily on overseas migrant workers to sustain their operations.

Automation

Automation in agriculture and other key sectors is reshaping the local labour market. While demand for low-skilled roles is declining, there is a corresponding rise in opportunities for more skilled occupations. However, attracting and retaining skilled workers remains a significant hurdle.

Isolation

Geographical isolation presents further barriers to reskilling. Mildura’s considerable distance from major capital cities means that accessing training and education can often require long travel by car, bus, or plane.

Climate

Climatic variability in the broader Mallee region, including frequent droughts, has had a significant impact on agricultural productivity, adding another layer of complexity to the region’s employment dynamics.

Sources: Mallee Regional Economic Development Strategy (2022); Mallee Regional Skills Demand Profile (2017); Wimmera Mallee Local Jobs Plan (2021)

A dirt path winding through a dry, sunlit forest with tall trees and sparse green leaves.

Research in Mildura will be undertaken by David, who says:

“As a long-time return visitor to Mildura and the Mallee, I’m really passionate about this community and want to give as much back through this project as possible. I’m very much looking forward to talking with people about the challenges that they face, and how the geography of Mildura influences the kinds of decisions about work and life that people are making.”

Take part

If you are involved in conversations about reskilling in industry, training, education, and government in Mildura and the Mallee region, David would love to hear from you!

Please share your details here and David will get back to you shortly.