MIGATE managing director and CEO Ron Pertovt said the decision to close was due to a couple of factors.

“The Commonwealth government withdrew funding support for this sector totally in June 2015 and as well as that the local economy of Mount Isa and North West Queensland has taken a significant downturn in the last 12 to 15 months,” Mr Pertovt said.

“The combination of those factors has brought MIGATE to place of commercial unsustainability.”

Mr Pertovt said the lack of government financial support meant organisations such as MIGATE were less able to provide community programs outside the scope of just employing apprentices and trainees.

“Every apprentice and trainee that MIGATE had on the books before today (Friday) have all been successfully employed and retained in their apprenticeship and traineeship,” he said.

“The only job losses are MIGATE staff itself and most of those staff have found alternative employment.”

Mr Pertovt said the closure of MIGATE would be a loss to Mount Isa.

“There is a genuine need in the community for an organisation such as MIGATE to support businesses that aren’t able to, or is not in their scope to, cater for the employment of apprenticeship and trainees,” he said.

“We also have a lot of programs with the schools and indigenous community.”

Mr Pertovt said MIGATE (Mount Isa Group Apprenticeship, Traineeship & Employment Inc) was established in the north west in 1988. MIGATE has employed in excess of 2000 apprentices and trainees in a wide variety of trade areas and training qualifications.

“MIGATE started largely from the efforts of then-mayor Tony McGrady and local motor dealer Ian Brien, in the 80s there was unemployment and a shortage of skills in Australia and this was a means where small business could take on an apprentice without the burden of red tape. That’s still the core service but it has evolved to include employment-related training programs mainly for government,” he said.