REVEALED: Why region missed out on Back to Work program

THE Department of Employment and Small Business has revealed why Toowoomba missed out on the extended Back to Work program.

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TOOWOOMBA missed out on being eligible for the State Government's extended Back to Work program because when the initiative was first rolled out the region had a low unemployment rate.

But the State Government said it was continuing to look at how it could help getting more Toowoomba region residents into jobs.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in July announced the Back to Work program was being extended another year as part of a $90 million COVID-19 stimulus package.

The initiative offers employer support payments of up to $15,000 and apprentice and trainee boost payments of up to $20,000 to eligible employers.

But Toowoomba, alongside major metropolitan areas, was left out of the initiative, prompting Toowoomba Regional Council and the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce to call for the Toowoomba region to be included.

A Department of Employment and Small Business spokeswoman said the Back to Work program had always been a regional initiative, and the South East Queensland stream of the program was introduced for a 12 month period in 2017.

The spokeswoman said the SEQ program was extended in 2018 into local government areas where there was ongoing high unemployment - a category Toowoomba did not fit into at the time.

Minister for Employment and Small Business Shannon Fentiman said the State Government understood the pandemic's impact.

"We are committed to investing in jobs for Toowoomba and will continue to look at how we can support more locals to get back to work," she said.

She said the separate Skilling Queenslanders for Work program had already supported 1100 locals into a job or further training.