Banking on bright future as we work things out

The Future of Work forum is in in Noosa

TUNED IN: Noosa MP Sandy Bolton with Ben Duncan. Picture: Michele Sternberg

NOOSA is uniquely positioned to benefit from business opportunities arising from global connectivity and that can flow on to enhancing the employment landscape.

That is according to business leader CCIQ Noosa which is holding The Future of Work in Noosa forum at The J on Thursday, June 7 at 5pm.

This will focus on what sort of jobs locals will be engaged in the near future and how local interest groups and governments can help facilitate gainful employment and business pathways in a "disruptive” age of digital technology.

"We know what the nature of work is going to be - there's going to be more people working here independently, but they're not going to have that same exposure to office culture,” Noosa Chamber of Commerce president Steven Boyd said.

He said in a future of artificial intelligence, and less office interaction, it would be harder to foster a positive business culture.

"It makes life easier for these young folk if they are embedded in a community that has a set value and Noosa, no one can argue, has a love and desire to see what we hold special be retained,” Mr Boyd said.

He said the other Noosa advantage was to tap into "a wealth of retired business owners up here”.

The CCIQ Noosa mentoring is seen as a role model for other regions in helping match newer businesses with former corporate leaders who retain a wealth of experience and acumen.

The evening is a chance to hear from local innovators, Noosa Council and state MP Sandy Bolton about how best to seize advantage of the global business environment.

As well Noosa's federal MP Llew O'Brien will be away from Noosa, will still present his ideas via a link in.

Mayor Wellington will speak of the need for Noosa to continue to diversify its economy to create new work options.

"A recent Lucid Economics profile for the shore noted there was strong employment growth across 12 growth sectors,”

Cr Wellington said.

"That's music to our ears and indicates why Noosa is currently experiencing an unemployment rate well below the state average.”

Ms Bolton said as well as diversification, the local economy had to leverage off the Noosa brand.

"The key is to attract investment and talent so that we can create an environment, pathways and culture for existing business and start-ups to succeed,” she said.

CCIQ Noosa is looking to young IT business leaders like Noosa-based Ben Duncan to increasingly trail-blaze employment opportunities locally with support from the all levels of government and business agencies.

Mr Duncan formed email server Atmail at Peregian Beach when he was aged just 17 and is co-founder with Nick Holmes a Court and Andy Gent, of HeyPiggyBank.com.

"PiggyBank makes it drop dead simple to automatically own a portfolio of Bitcoin and crypto-currency without ever having to think about it. It's a PiggyBank for the blockchain generation,” he said.

"I have a passion for technology, building companies, and assembling world-class engineering teams.”

The keen surfer and conservationist is also the co-founder of Coding From Beach, a group of more

than 350 programers and entrepreneurs based on the Sunshine Coast.

Tickets are $15 and can be booked at: thej.com.au/ future-of-work-in-noosa.