The 2006 census showed 16.3per cent of the Braybrook workforce was unemployed, compared with the Australian average of 5.2per cent.

As the Mail reported in March, Braybrook is expected to be hard hit by increased unemployment in the west. It was named as the seventh-most vulnerable place in Victoria for job losses in an index released recently by the Centre of Full Employment and Equity in NSW.

Over the next fortnight, more than 4000 households in Braybrook and Maidstone will be surveyed to find out what skills and interests residents have in the areas of commerce, transport, retail, food industry, arts and crafts, horticulture, agriculture, construction and maintenance, administration and health care.

The Skills and Interests Survey, believed to be a first for the region, forms part of the State Government-funded Braybrook and Maidstone Renewal Project.

Project employment and learning co-ordinator Ken Hull said all skills, including hobbies and interests, would be considered important.

He said once the data was collated, people requiring training would be directed to nearby courses or linked up to industries or other skilled residents.

Details: Amanda Neville or Ken Hull, Neighbourhood Renewal, 93175610 or 0417341888.