The Geelong, Victoria region of Australia is a major industrial manufacturing hub, currently undergoing a structural economic and workforce transition, forced by the concurrent closures of major regional employers.In 2013, soon after Alcoa announced its local metals plant would close with the loss of 800 jobs in 2014, the region was again hit with the news that all of Australia’s remaining automotive manufacturers (Ford, General Motors-Holden and Toyota) would close in Victoria by Q4/2016, affecting 8,000 workers at the OEMs and 15,000-20,000 workers in firms in the supply chain. In Geelong, Ford’s assembly plant closure will cause over 500 direct job losses, with significant secondary impacts on supply chain companies.Fearing the potential long-term social and economic damage these closures would cause,local stakeholders have been working to develop a range of economic adjustment programmes, identify next-generation opportunities, and keep Geelong’s manufacturing infrastructure and ecosystem from atrophying. Read Full Extract
