THE HON SHAYNE NEUMANN MP, FEDERAL MEMBER FOR BLAIR
MEDIA RELEASE
Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann and JBS Dinmore have teamed up in a bid to boost local jobs, and promote employment and training opportunities for students and school leavers at the JBS Australia Meat Processing Plant at Ipswich.
To that end, Mr Neumann and JBS Australia (JBS) convened a roundtable with local school principals and staff today to discuss pathways available for current high school students and graduates.
This follows JBS’s announcement last month it would create 500 new jobs from 2024 at its Dinmore processing facility in response to increased demand for Aussie beef. JBS is the largest single private employer in the Ipswich City Council area.
The Dinmore plant will implement a ‘second shift’ that will commence in the first half of 2024, taking the total number of people employed at the site to over 1,800.
To fill these positions, JBS has commenced a recruitment drive to encourage locals to apply and this includes a new initiative working with Brisbane and Ipswich high schools to provide school-based traineeships and a pathway to employment for school leavers.
Today’s forum was attended by 11 principals and staff from seven local schools, including Ipswich State High School, Ipswich Grammar School, Bremer State High School, Redbank Plains State High School, Ripley Valley State Secondary College, St Edmund’s College and Rosewood State High School, as well as officers from the Queensland Department of Education.
Mr Neumann congratulated JBS for its ongoing commitment to secure local jobs and providing opportunities for youth.
“My first job out of school was working as a cleaner at Dinmore, so I’m excited that young people coming through now could have the same opportunities when they leave school.
“We know youth unemployment continues to be a challenge in the Ipswich region, so anything we can do to provide more opportunities for school leavers is a positive step.
“I convened a Blair Jobs Summit last year, which JBS participated in, and some of the key issues that came up there were skills shortages in the region, youth unemployment, and how we get more young people into good jobs.
“This is one of the fastest growing areas in the country and we need to be investing in jobs for the future, so I’m really pleased JBS is doing its bit with this announcement and newly established schools’ program,” Mr Neumann said.
JBS Australia Dinmore Plant Manager Murray Wilson said the company was committed to supporting local employment and engaging with local schools on traineeships and employment pathways.
“A wide variety of roles and career prospects are available, including fitters, electricians, maintenance supervisors, laboratory technicians, boners, slicers, butchers and labourers, as well as positions in our graduate program.
“This reflects JBS’s ongoing commitment to the Dinmore and Ipswich regions. We are committed to growing and developing our workforce, and we want local school students to benefit from these opportunities,” Mr Wilson said.
The JBS Dinmore facility which has been in operation since 1986, accounts for 10% of Australia’s total beef processing capacity, producing a wide range of grass and grain fed beef brands that are supplied to major national Australian supermarkets and overseas markets including Asia, North America and the Middle East.
