https://www.miningweekly.com

MCA launches three skills hubs

25th November 2020

By: Esmarie Iannucci

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

     

Font size: - +

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has announced three new mining skills project hubs aimed at delivering training faster to accelerate skills development for the resources sector.

“Australia’s minerals industry already has a highly skilled, highly paid workforce that is better trained than many other sectors. However, the combination of technology adoption, industry and learner expectations and skills availability pressures will test how tradespeople are trained for and inducted into the mining industry,” said MCA CEO Tania Constable on Wednesday.

These new project hubs will be focused on digital transformation, apprenticeships and attraction and retention, and form part of the industry-led Mining Skills Organisation Pilot (MSOP) being delivered by the MCA supported by the Australian government.

“They will also boost opportunities for new talent entering the Australian minerals industry and allow existing mining workers, as well as workers from other industries, to access new skills, enabling them to move into mining or shift to new types of jobs if already working in the sector,” Constable said.

The skills project hubs include an apprenticeships hub with an initial goal of at least 5 000 new apprenticeships to modernise trades training, education and development, with an initial focus on in-demand heavy duty diesel fitters and developing content, delivery and assessment models that better align industry need and apprentice knowledge.

A digital transformation hub will enable faster delivery of training products for automation and the application of digital technologies, with the goal of integrating existing automation training products into Australia’s training package framework, while an attraction and retention hub will identify and test strategies that make a career in the industry attractive to those with partial or transferable skills and qualifications by aligning the skills necessary for a successful career in mining with those in other industries through a mining fundamentals skill set.

“Australia’s minerals industry already has a strong relationship with the vocational education and training (VET) sector, with Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing more than one-third of the mining workforce holds core trades qualifications at Certificate III or Certificate IV level,” Constable said.

“A more responsive and flexible VET system which improves skills delivery and enhances the learner’s experience will ensure the industry has access to the skilled talent pipeline it needs to continue creating highly skilled, highly paid jobs and making a significant contribution to the national economy.

“With the pace of technological change accelerate the future minerals workforce must be skilled in technology adoption, confident in using and applying technology, and adaptable and flexible to thrive now and into the future.”

Constable noted that through MSOP, the mining industry has the flexibility to trial innovative new approaches to skills development and acquisition to complement and enhance the current system so responsive pathways and skills acquisition can create and sustain job opportunities as Australia recovers from Covid-19.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION