ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY
NATIONAL ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE
AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
2018
The 2018 National Economic Development
Awards for Excellence winners were announced
at the Gala event held on the stunning
Rockhampton Riverbank as part of the 2018
National Economic Development Conference on
October 18.
Congratulations to all the finalists and winners
whose success is evidence of the innovative
economic development programs transforming
Australian communities.
COMMUNITY COLLABORATION
IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
WINNER
CITY OF ONKAPARINGA
Onkaparinga Youth Enterprise Hub (OYEH)
hub incorporating retail, exhibition, makers and co-
working spaces from where they deliver a range of
services including entrepreneurial skill development
programs, networking events, gallery exhibitions
and product launches. In the past 12 months, the
City has supported more than 13 businesses,
incubated and launched 3 new start-ups with 10
more intenders in the pipeline. 27 young people
have completed nationally recognised and
accredited barista courses.
Volunteers have invested over 850 hours in
OYEH and the program has attracted over 2,300
attendances.
The City of Onkaparinga has created an enabling
environment for young people to thrive and develop
new skills with a view to changing the narrative
on youth unemployment in the region. Pathways
have been created to provide an opportunity
for young people to be job makers, not just job
seekers. The success of this project has been due
to focused, deliberate and meaningful collaboration
with more than 15 community partners and
stakeholders including young people, government,
non-government and business sectors.
FINALIST
The Onkaparinga Youth Enterprise Hub (OYEH)
empowers young people under 30 to develop skills
and pathways to unlock and maximise their creative
and entrepreneurial potential. With high rates of
youth unemployment in the City of Onkaparinga,
OYEH aims to provide a positive future for young
people by building their enterprise skills and
empowering them to create their own self-
employment opportunities and contribute to the
community and the economy.
Based on research and community engagement,
the City of Onkaparinga has created a unique,
vibrant and innovative multiple use youth enterprise
SUNSHINE COAST COUNCIL
Welcoming the Commonwealth to the Sunshine
Coast 2018
Sunshine Coast is a destination with outstanding
sporting assets and the 2018 Commonwealth
Games presented a rare leveraging opportunity.
The area was well positioned to offer pre-Games
training and acclimatisation camps for visiting
Commonwealth countries and to grow the current
$442 million sports economy, by:
•
increasing the profile of the Sunshine Coast
as a training destination for high-performance
sports
VOL.11 NO.2 2018 | 7