Innovation, Skill Needs and Training in a Rural Community

Difficult challenges face the Gannawarra Shire in northern Victoria, including competing increasingly in global markets, environmental degradation and changing consumer preferences. Education, training and skill development are one way of addressing the challenges. A survey of 68 enterprises (distinguishing between growing, consolidating and declining enterprises) suggested, inter alia, that innovation is an essential element in Gannawarra's response to the challenges it faces and that enterprises requiring more training differ significantly from those requiring different types of education and training. The 'story' of Gannawarra's challenges and its efforts to address them provide insights which are likely to be useful elsewhere.