Education and Training Minister Geoff Wilson said new and recently passed legislation would see the establishment of a Queensland industry led skills and workforce development body.

Mr Wilson said the independent skills commission - to be known as Skills Queensland - would use the latest industry advice to help ensure growing skills demand could be filled by Queenslanders.

"The Bligh Government is dedicated to securing Queensland's economic future and continuing to generate local employment opportunities," he said. "There is no better way to achieve this than by getting advice from industry experts and Queensland businesses". "Skills Queensland will be an industry-led body fully equipped to provide independent, frank advice and make recommendations to the government on skills, workforce development and skilled migration.

Mr Wilson continued by saying that the new organisation will become the centrepiece of the vocational education and training sector in Queensland and will be backed by a strategic skills investment fund of up to $100 million from government and industry.

Mr Wilson said Skills Queensland would commence operations by the end of 2010 with its top priority to develop a Skills and Workforce Development Investment Plan.

The Bligh Government's Toward Q2: Tomorrow's Queensland goals include seeing three quarters of Queenslanders holding a trade, training or tertiary qualification by 2020.