Jobs boost for booming caravan industry
150 caravan factory jobs for young and unemployed hit hard by pandemicA government-backed program will create 150 new jobs in the Victorian caravan manufacturing industry, to help reduce a shortage of qualified workers as caravan builders struggle to keep up with the huge demand for locally-built RVs.
The 150 new workers will be employed by 10 Caravan Industry Victoria manufacturer members, including Crusader Caravans which is moving into a new purpose-built factory early next year and will take on two new staff members as part of the program.
Victorian Employment Minister Jaala Pulford said the jobs will go to those from priority groups that have been hardest hit by the pandemic including from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, long-term unemployed and young people under 25 years.
It will provide on-the-job training in areas including assembly, service and repairs, warehousing, logistics, administration and sales.
The 'earn and learn' initiative is being rolled out by Caravan Industry Victoria and North Link, and is part of the $250 million 'Jobs Victoria Fund', set up to provide up to 10,000 "steady and secure jobs" for workers most impacted by the pandemic.
“The caravan industry is booming and this provides a great opportunity for Victorians to build a career in an industry that is really going places,” the Victorian Employment Minister said.
Melbourne’s north is the heartland of Australia's caravan manufacturing industry, with around 90 per cent of Australia's 100-plus RV manufacturers located in the region, and accounting for an estimated 55-60 per cent of annual RV production, or around 11-12,000 caravans annually.
Top-selling Jayco, which alone accounts for an estimated 40-45 per cent of annual Australian RV production, or more than 10,000 units, has recently been advertising for workers with large highway signs outside its Dandenong, Victoria factory.
The local RV manufacturing sector is worth up to $2.3 billion to the Victorian economy each year, and employs up to 7500 workers.
Related: Jobs aplenty in the caravan industry
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