Regional and Industry Partnerships Program Guidelines

The Regional and Industry Partnerships Program supports the operation of the Spencer Gulf Jobs and Skills Hub and is part of the State Government package to support South Australian workers and businesses in Whyalla and the wider Upper Spencer Gulf region.

Grants will be available to support place-based and place-focused solutions to workforce opportunities and challenges in the region, driven by regional employers and key organisations or networks in partnership with the South Australian government.

The Department of State Development (DSD) will administer the Regional and Industry Partnerships Program from March 2025 to 30 June 2027. DSD may also work directly with some industry sectors, businesses and regional stakeholders to deliver strategic projects, particularly where it responds to a specific issue, priority or service gap.

The Regional and Industry Partnerships Program is designed to focus on workforce development objectives and complement activity delivered under the National Skills Agreement, as well as Australian Government services.

The program has three core objectives:

• Connecting workers with employment: creating opportunities to connect workers and job seekers with employment, including supporting workers who have lost their jobs at the Whyalla Steelworks, mines or in the supply chain into new roles.
• Improving workforce outcomes for disengaged and disadvantaged people: ensuring everyone benefits from the growth and new opportunities in the region, with a particular focus on supporting long-term unemployed, Aboriginal people, and young people in the region.
• Building the workforce in priority sectors: supporting workforce planning and development to ensure the region and its workforce is ready and has the right skills to take advantage of opportunities in mining, green iron, steelmaking, construction, manufacturing and renewable energy, and respond to growth in sectors such as health care and social assistance.

While the sectors above will be prioritised, applications for projects in all sectors are welcome where benefits against the objectives can be demonstrated.

The types of activities that can be funded through the Regional and Industry Partnerships Program include:

• Job matching functions, including services and platforms
• Building job-ready experience of workers
• Wrap around supports (eg mentoring and pastoral care)
• Career advice services
• Work readiness and work hardening programs
• Programs and supports tailored to address specific needs of disengaged people
• Innovative business practices to improve development and retention of staff
• Workforce planning for small and medium businesses
• Supply-chain wide workforce planning for multiple businesses, which can be driven or supported by a larger business in the supply chain.
• Non-accredited training
• Occupational tickets and licenses
• New models of training connected to employment pathways
• Professional development programs for businesses and workers
• Workforce and employment events
• Internships, cadetships and scholarships that connect graduates and students to industry and employment opportunities.

Project activities that the Regional and Industry Partnerships Program will generally not fund include:

• Substitution of existing industry funded programs, recruitment costs or other services.
• Project activities that can be funded through existing state or Commonwealth programs, projects or initiatives.
• Employer specific training that is not transferrable to wider industry.
• Legislative or regulatory activity that is the responsibility of employers.
• Activities that commence prior to execution of the contract.
• Costs of catering and alcohol.
• Purchase of capital equipment.
• Core business operations or business as usual activities.
• Any activities not directly and wholly related to the delivery of services under this program.
• Any other costs as determined by the Department.

Local partners are the focus of the Regional and Industry Partnerships Program, including through:

• Employer partnerships, which focuses on projects led by employers in partnership with the State Government
• Network and system partnerships, which focuses on projects led by organisations or collectives of organisations in the region (which may include employers) and the State Government.

The workforce (or prospective workforce) targeted through proposals must have Australian residency or citizenship status, be on a state or employer sponsored visa and/or pathway to permanent residency, or be temporary skilled migrants working in a priority sector.

Applications will be considered from organisations that are a legal entity established in Australia, have their principal place of business registered at a place within the Upper Spencer Gulf region and hold an active Australian Business Number (ABN).

This can include:

• South Australian businesses
• Industry bodies
• Not-for-profit organisations
• Aboriginal corporations
• Regional development authorities.

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and state and local government agencies are not eligible to apply for funding directly, however are encouraged to partner with business and industry to develop proposals and support delivery.

Applications from industry and employers, or as part of a partnership arrangement with industry or employers, will be prioritised.

Total grant funding of up to $2 million (excluding GST) is available for round one.

Round one of the program will be open from 26 March 2025 to 5pm Friday, 28 November 2025, Australian Central Daylight Time (ACDT). Applications can be made throughout this period, and will be assessed on a monthly basis. It is anticipated a second round will run in 2026.

Maximum project duration is 24 months, with all project delivery to be completed by 30 June 2027 unless otherwise negotiated, and subject to budget availability.

Applications that include business or industry financial contribution will be viewed favourably in assessment. In addition, applications above $100,000 (excluding GST) will need to demonstrate partnership with, or benefit for, multiple industries, businesses, or cohorts in the Upper Spencer Gulf.

Payment of funds for successful proposals will be attached to milestones agreed through the contract negotiation process.

Applicants who qualify as a ‘not-for-profit entity’ (as set out in Premier and Cabinet Circular PC 044 – South Australian Funding Policy for not for profit sector) must ensure their request for funding in their application is inclusive of indexation as required by the Department of Treasury and Finance.

The Regional and Industry Partnerships Program has a focus on building workforce supply, through building skills and work readiness across existing and emerging industry. This includes getting more jobseekers into work, building the capability and skills of the existing workforce, and better connecting workers (or prospective workers) with opportunities.

Applicants will be expected to estimate, and provide evidence of one or more of the following, delivered through their project:

• employment outcomes (i.e. new workers entering part-time or full-time employment)
• upskilling of existing workers (i.e. tickets and licenses issued, training units delivered)
• reach of employment and industry information (i.e. participation in events, online activity).
• creation of pathways in areas of skills or workforce shortage, fast growing sectors or emerging occupations.

Applications that can demonstrate clear pathways to employment will be prioritised in project assessment.

All projects approved for funding will be required to deliver a final report of key lessons and outlining rationale that can be tested and evaluated to inform future policy and contribute to systemic change.

Applications will be assessed against the following eligibility criteria:

• Project design and delivery, which includes factors such as:
  • Capacity and capability of the applicant (including past experience delivering similar initiatives, capability of key personnel identified, and financial position)
  • Coherence and practicality of the proposal
  • Attractiveness and value of proposal to intended participants (including usability and accessibility)
  • Project duration and timing meet industry and employer, and participant needs
  • Relevant partners critical to success are involved.
• Value for money, which includes factors such as:
  • Project complexity
  • Participant and/or employer needs
  • Scope and scale of the project
  • Outcomes to be delivered
  • Project partners and/or proponent financial and/or in-kind contribution.
• Identified workforce need, which includes factors such as:
  • clear definition and evidence of the scale and impact of the employer or industry workforce need
  • clear definition of how the proposal addresses that need, and the evidence that the proposed project design and delivery addresses need.
  • anticipated benefits and outcomes of implementing the solution
  • new employment opportunities created
  • Alignment to target sectors
    • Focus on priority industries such as construction, mining, manufacturing, renewable energy
    • Focus on growth industries for the region, including health care and social assistance.
• Innovation, which includes factors such as:
  • new ideas or methods will be implemented through the project
  • description of how the project differs from normal (or business as usual) skills and workforce development activity
  • elements that make the innovative project likely to succeed, and what might negatively affect success.
• Approach to project insights and evaluation, which includes factors such as:
  • How the project will measure its outcomes
  • How the project will build new insights and evidence to support design, development, and adoption of interventions which meet industry, business, and workforce need.

All proponents are asked to submit a short expression of interest (EOI) which will ask for detail on:

• The proponent and key partners
• The type of activity to be implemented and high-level evidence for why it is needed.
• Outcomes to be achieved
• Quantum of funding sought.

EOIs considered to have merit for further investigation will progress to codesign and application development with the proponent and Manager, Spencer Gulf Workforce.

Full applications will be submitted to an independent panel for final assessment. Panel members may also contact key partners at this stage to independently verify their involvement and contribution.

The panel will determine whether applications progress to contract negotiations and advice the proponent of the outcome of the assessment.