THE City of Casey has created a partnership aimed to help boost local job creation and business investment.
The council has teamed up with Monash University’s faculty of business and eonomics and relocated Casey’s economic development department to the university’s Berwick campus.
The move will allow both parties to work on a range of initiatives to help strengthen the local economy and create more local jobs.
Speaking at a reception at the Berwick campus this month to celebrate the new partnership, City of Casey mayor Shar Balmes said the partnership was a key milestone in the council’s economic development strategy.
“It will enable joint projects and provide a sound research base for the very challenging work required to support our growing and new communities,” Cr Balmes said.
“The location of the economic development department here at Monash is a clear statement of council’s intent to place business investment, attraction and development at the forefront of its priorities.”
Two specific partnership initiatives are already underway.
The first is a joint feasibility study into establishing a business accelerator complex at Monash University’s Berwick campus.
A business accelerator is a serviced business hub where a high level of support is provided to businesses located there. It fosters a culture of entrepreneurship and provides opportunities for businesses to refer clients to one another and to participate in a range of learning and networking activities.
The second initiative is a research project looking at the rapid growth taking place in Casey and the effects that this is having on the population in terms of needs for specific facilities and services.