Skills
Report debunks myths about mining education and training
The first comprehensive study of the sector's contribution to vocational education has shown that the Australian mining industry spent almost $1.15 billion on training in the last financial year.
The study, by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), found that the minerals industry spent $1.147 billion on training in 2011/12, equivalent to 5.5% of the total payroll.
The findings debunk myths that the minerals industry is not seeking to attract and train Australians for work, dispelling beliefs that the sector is a large user of temporary skilled migrants.
Commissioned by the Minerals Council of Australia, the study also showed that almost 98% of training expenditure is industry-funded, with only 2% coming from government subsidies.
Key findings from the study show:
* the industry employs about 11,000 apprentices and trainees across Australia;
* around 15% of all apprentices and trainees are female;
* about 13% of apprentices and trainees are Aboriginal Australians; and
* around 20% are mature-aged apprentices and trainees (older than 21);
The study demonstrate that the industry's education and training budget is very significant while data from the immigration department shows the sector's use of 457 visa holders – which make up 2.6 per cent of the mining workforce – is declining.
The number of apprentices and trainees in the mining sector is often said to be underreported, due to some on-site activity being classified under industries other than mining.
This includes apprentice chefs being classified under hospitality or site remediation under horticulture.
It is also worth noting that mining companies themselves may undertake a substantial amount of training outside of the publicly funded VET system, resulting in an absence of reliable publicly available data.
Click here to view the full report.
The Skills & Education Blueprint
In 2009, SACOME created and launched ‘The Skills & Education Blueprint’ which identifies the key areas of focus for the resources industry in SA in relation to workforce planning. It is anticipated that these strategies can be further developed over this period to maximise their benefit to the industry.
Click here to view The SACOME Skills & Education Blueprint
Skills for the Industry
People For The Future is a website created by industry to highlight career paths in the resources industry. Start here to discover what a career in the resources industry is all about.
Skills for All is a South Australian government initiative to help connect people to the skills they require for jobs within industries, offering subsidies for training costs. Click here to view the skills offered for the resources industry in SA.
SACOME has provided a list of tertiary education courses offered for careers in the resources industry with NRT (Nationally Recognised Training) codes to search on the Government's website to find Registered Training Organisations in SA. University degrees are also included that provide pathways into professional careers in the resources industry. Click here to view the Training website, and here to view the list of courses.
National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce Report
On 1 September 2009 the Australian Government announced the establishment of the National Resources Sector Employment Taskforce (NRSET) to help secure the skilled workforce required to build and operate major resources sector projects over the next five years. The Taskforce released its findings in July 2010 which included seven main recommendations.