Fast-food jobs are great, but we need to skill-up our trades

All new jobs are welcome in Ipswich, but some are better value than others.

Carls Jnr site at Redbank Plains. Picture: Rob Williams

ALL new jobs are welcome in Ipswich, but some are better value than others.

As the QT's Future Ipswich campaign has documented, the region is on the cusp of a population explosion that could set our destiny for the century.

With that growth will bring opportunities to grow and improve the workforce.

More people will facilitate the need for more supermarkets, more service stations and more fast-food restaurants.

These will provide jobs for many young people.

Hopefully they are in these jobs while balancing university; studying a skilled profession or technical trade.

As leading demographer Bernard Salt said, if Ipswich wants to change its vision from a working-class outreach to a technical hub, more must be invested in education.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has just visited Berlin where she met with the CEO of Rheinmetall Defence, Armin Papperger.

Later this year Mr Papperger will visit Ipswich to inspect the military centre at Redbank and throw some weight behind the company's push to secure Phase 3 of the Land 400 contract.

The contract would secure hundreds of high-paying jobs for Ipswich into the 2030s.

That will shape our Future Ipswich nicely.