Regional unemployment and community learning networks : do employment surveys have a role?

An innovative response to unemployment in local government areas hard hit by the effects of globalisation and the decline of manufacturing industry has been the development of community based learning networks which draw on local authority infrastructure. This article examines the example of the Fairfield Council (Sydney, Australia) learning network. A key issue to ensure the effectiveness of community learning networks is to identify areas where skills will be needed and industries which are growing in employment requirements. The article discusses the possible role of regional employment vacancy surveys in providing relevant data for the use of managers of community learning networks. The specific example of the Western Sydney Jobs Vacancy Survey is discussed.