CheckUP’s Industry Workforce Advisors are Supporting Workforce Solutions Across Queensland

Throughout May for Queensland Small Business Month CheckUP’s Industry Workforce Advisors (IWAs) Carissa McAllister, Stuart Coward and Alina Khalid travelled across Queensland to participate in Queensland Small Business Month events and connected with business owners, community leaders and employers in the health and community service sectors. 

The Industry Workforce Advisors attended events spanning metropolitan, regional, rural and remote communities, and also with a strong focus on supporting the workforce of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and businesses. 

While every community is unique, common themes emerged wherever conversations took place. 

Employers consistently spoke about workforce shortages, challenges attracting and retaining staff, and increasing demand for services. Many small to medium-sized business owners described the growing pressure of balancing frontline service delivery with workforce and business management responsibilities, often with limited time and resources. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and businesses, these challenges are further compounded by geographic isolation, limited local workforce pools and difficulties accessing culturally responsive and meaningful workforce development supports. 

What stood out most was the immense energy of purpose and the willingness of businesses and organisations to share ideas and explore practical solutions. 

For GP practices and allied health businesses, the financial pressure is real. With Medicare indexed at 2.6% against CPI at 4.2% and mandatory wage increases of 4.75%, practices are absorbing the pressure, and that strain flows directly into the workforce. When non-clinical staff positions go unfilled, clinical staff absorb the load, and burnout follows. Across the broader health sector, the pattern is the same: Clinicians answering phones, allied health practitioners managing their own bookings, qualified professionals spending time on tasks a supported administration team could handle. One practical lever available right now is building that support workforce through vocational pathways helping businesses explore traineeships, entry-level roles to grow the non-clinical team that frees clinicians to do what they were trained to do and keep the business viable.  

Businesses also expressed the value of personalised workforce advice. Many employers are aware that support programs and government initiatives exist but are unsure or overwhelmed where to start, or how opportunities apply to their unique circumstances. The IWA program helps bridge this gap by providing tailored workforce advice, supporting businesses to identify practical workforce actions, and connecting them with relevant government programs, funding opportunities and workforce initiatives. 

Another consistent message was the importance of place-based solutions. Communities emphasised that workforce challenges in rural and remote Queensland require locally informed responses developed in partnership with communities, employers, service providers and governments. Solutions that work in one location may not be suitable elsewhere, reinforcing the need for flexible approaches that recognise local strengths, priorities and aspirations. 

For CheckUP’s IWA team, these conversations reinforced the importance of listening first, building relationships and working alongside businesses and communities to identify practical workforce solutions. 

By understanding local challenges and opportunities, we can better support employers to strengthen their workforce, improve service delivery and create sustainable employment pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Queensland. 

The First Nations Industry Workforce Advisor Program is proudly funded and supported by the Queensland Government. 

Download Strong Futures Start Here – How to start workforce planning for First Nations health and community services. 

To learn more about how CheckUP can support your workforce solutions visit the link below.