Manufacturing Workforce Planning Workshop | Townsville

Date

17 September 2026

Time

9:00 am - 4:30 pm

Location

Mercure Townsville

Cost

$0

Presented By

Karen Knapton, Industry Workforce Advisor

CREATE YOUR FIRST WORKFORCE PLAN IN ONE DAY

An intensive, hands-on workshop for small manufacturing businesses to develop their first comprehensive workforce plan. Limited to 10 participants to ensure personalised support and meaningful peer learning.

Workforce planning isn’t just HR paperwork—it’s your competitive edge. In today’s rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape, having the right people with the right skills at the right time can make or break your business growth.

Most businesses know they need a workforce plan but don’t know where to start. This workshop removes the guesswork. You’ll work directly with the team at Manufacturing Skills Queensland to build your first complete workforce plan using a framework designed specifically for manufacturers.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

  • Hands-on, not theoretical: You’ll create YOUR actual plan, not learn about planning
  • Small group: Maximum 10 participants ensures personalised attention
  • Data-driven: Work with your real business data to generate actionable insights
  • Dashboard output: Visual, easy-to-understand workforce analytics
  • Implementation support: Direct pathway to a $2,000 subsidy for HR services

THE FRAMEWORK YOU’LL MASTER

Over one intensive day, you’ll work through 8 strategic modules:

  1. Business inputs and strategic goals
  2. Strategic context and alignment
  3. Production profile and capacity planning
  4. Current workforce profile
  5. Workforce forecasting and gap analysis
  6. Turnover analysis and cost calculation
  7. Training needs analysis
  8. Risk identification

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

Manufacturing business owners, operations managers, and senior leaders from small to medium businesses (up to 200 employees) who want to:

  • Reduce employee turnover
  • Identify critical skill gaps
  • Align training with business strategy
  • Plan for growth or technological change
  • Build a more resilient workforce