On 23rd November, 2006, His Excellency Dr Ken Michael, AC Governor of Western Australia, spoke on the official launch of the Regional Education and Careers in Highways Foundation.

As patron of the Regional Education and Careers in Highways Foundation, I am very pleased that from the initial concept we have come to this point where the initiative is firmly in place. That journey has been successful because of the tremendous support the Foundation has received along the way - from the State government through Main Roads Western Australia, local government through the Western Australian Local Government Association, as well as the road, transport and construction industries.

The Foundation is an initiative which is to be throroughly commended. It is about offering youth in regional areas oppourtunities for training, development and employment in all areas associated with and supporting the delivery and maintenance of civil infrastructure, with an initial emphasis on road infrastructure.

It will offer young people the opportunity to work while undertaking study towards a Certificate III in Civil Construction (Road Construction and Maintenance). It will do so by developing, coordinating and implementing traineeship programs.

At its core, the idea for the Foundation was seen as a positive concept that would help overcome an ageing workforce and the subsequent skills shortage that is currently being experienced in the State's economy.

I would like to pay tribute here to the role of Main Roads Western Australia in its leadership role in the development and establishment of the Foundation. IT developed the model for establishing a community foundation to provide traineeships. Now that the Foundation is up and running, Main Roads will continue to be involved on the board, while providing support by participating in the recruitment and training program through its ten regional offices, who are well respresented here today.

Main Roads has always been synonymous with training. In my varied roles in Main Roads Western Australia over many years, I well remember my time there - all 36 or so years - and well remember the strong emphasis in training in all facets of the operation. Along with a large number of others, I benefitted from that philosophy, in the technical and management areas. The emphasis was to facilitate a skilled workforce within the road industry, be it in the planning, design, construction, maintenance or administrative discipline, at various levels throughout the organisation.

Main Roads was the driving force in the training program, with a well structured group of experienced people to support it.

From my observations over recent years, that training philosophy has not been lost. The inititave of the Foundation demonstrates this with its strong recognition of the need to build up the skills in the road construction industry.

I have always held the belief that it is vital to reflect a viable road industry skills base across the public and private sectors, with an appropriate balance between the two. I believe the Foundation works towards this philosophy.

Times change, situations change and systems and people change with them. The past approach by Main Roads was very effective and I will continue to endorse and applaud it. But the next phase needs to reach out further, embracing all players - public and private - in training skilled people to contribute to the development and enhancement of a safe and efficient road system for the benefit of the community.

I believe the Foundation Traineeship Program does this very effectively, as well as complementing other initiatives within Main Roads, such as alliances with the private sector in both construction and maintenance.

I know that all of us here are certain that the Foundation will be successful. While its focus is to develop the road construction industry, it has a grass roots approach to working with regional communities across the state.

And, of course, while the Foundation will help sustain the road construction industry, it will also help sustain regional communtities by providing training and employment oppotunities for young people. It will ultimately help communities retain young people who might otherwise seek employment opportunties elsewhere.

The Foundation also "adds further value" because the benefits extend beyond just the practical outcome, including such issues as the health and wellbeing of young people in the regions, and the long term strengthening of skills within the road and transport industry into the future.

The aims of the Foundation are very clear. They are to ensure that the skills of a highly knowledgeable technical workforce are passed on to a new generation of road construction workers and, in so doing, contribute towards the sustainability of Western Australian regional communities.

While there are many people who have contributed enormously to the success of this initiative, I would like to acknowledge, in particular, several individuals whose special efforts have ensured the Foundation has become a reality. They include Main Roads Commissioner, Menno Henneveld, and Main Roads Executive Director for Operational Planning and Development, Mike Wallwork, as well as the Western Australian Local Government Association President, Bill Mitchell, and Chief Executive Officer, MS Ricky Burges.

To all of you who have given support to the Foundation, thank you for that commitment.

It gives me great pleasure to officially launch the Regional Education and Careers in Highways Foundation and wish it every success in the future

His Excellency Dr Ken Michael, AC Governor of Western Australia.