Queensland Government teams up with global provider to deliver “Netflix for training”

The Queensland Government is now partnering with GO1, an online training company to provide a training library and digital platform for Queensland small businesses, including those operating in early childhood education and care (ECEC), to help combat the economic effects of COVID-19.

Queensland Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training Shannon Fentiman said GO1, based in Logan, has delivered their ‘Netflix for training’ style platform to more than one million customers worldwide since starting in Queensland in 2009.

Effective immediately more than 400 free training courses can be accessed through two portals, with courses on a variety of topics relevant to ECEC.

The first portal, the Queensland Small Business Skills Hub, provides access for small businesses and their employees to around 400 online courses in topic areas such as leading a successful business, digital skills and foundation business skills, the Minister said.

The Queensland Small Business Skills Hub will have courses across four topic areas:

• Foundation business skills;
• Leading a successful business;
• Connecting businesses and customers; and,
• Digital skills and adapting to change.

Small business owners and operators will also be able to create their own training programs for their employees. 

The second portal, named Skills Focus Queensland, provides access for those who have experienced reduced employment or job loss as a result of the pandemic, making 400 courses available in a variety of topic areas such as cv writing and interview preparation.

The Skills Focus Queensland portal will have courses across seven topic areas:

• Job Finder and Skills Booster, such as CV writing and interview preparation;
• Accounting and finance;
• Sales and customer service;
• Hospitality;
• Programming and IT.

Access to the GO1 online library is part of the Queensland Government’s $500 million Worker Assistance package under the broader Economic Recovery Strategy. 

GO1 Co-Founder Vu Tran said the pandemic presents an opportune time for Queenslanders to “take stock of the path forward”.

“Some may seek to upgrade their skills, while others could look at laying the foundation for a whole new career. The free courses will contribute greatly to helping them decide on the next steps,” Mr Tran said.

Both the private and public sector have been recipients of GO1’s pandemic response where free courses have been offered to hundreds of thousands of workers, with free training hubs created for workers stood down at Qantas and Virgin Australia. 

“We want to level the playing field for Queenslanders with our free courses and complement the efforts of TAFE Queensland and other great local providers in offering free support during these trying times. As we look to the months ahead, we want Queenslanders to be well equipped to tackle any economic headwinds that may lie ahead,” Mr Tran said.

As Queensland moves into the next phase of recovery from COVID-19, Ms Fentiman said that the Government will expand the available training courses by partnering with other service providers that offer online courses.

“We are open to innovative ideas for further targeted online training and will be calling for expressions of interest from Queensland training service providers in mid-June,” she added.

Small businesses can access the Queensland Small Business Skills Hub GO1 training library via the Business Queensland website at www.business.qld.gov.au/onlinetraining

Individuals impacted by COVID-19 can connect to the Skills Focus Queensland training portal through the Jobs Finder portal at: https://www.jobsfinder.qld.gov.au/