manufacturing to those particular locations because they won’t conflict with the land usage.” However, to secure the long-term, Lithgow is focusing on creating an Adaptive Skills Hub within its central business district. Housed in a former Centrelink building, this hub aims to provide a seamless educational pathway from kindergarten through to tertiary studies. “This way, people will have the opportunity to build and create ties back to this community and continue to study and work locally as well. So we’re really trying to address a systemic problem of people having to pursue opportunity elsewhere and create those really important community connections locally,” Edgecombe states. By partnering with institutions like Western Sydney University (WSU) and establishing a Regional University Study Hub, the initiative seeks to strengthen ties between residents and the local economy, reducing the outflow of talent to other regions. Education is a cornerstone of Lithgow’s strategy for economic transition. Historically, the town’s workforce has leaned heavily toward vocational education, with strong participation in apprenticeships and traineeships tailored to the mining and power sectors. Yet, as the global economy pivots toward industries 65 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 07, ISSUE 01 CITY OF LITHGOW COUNCIL
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