Media Releases
CME Welcomes Aboriginal Workforce Development Centre
09/03/10
The Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME) welcomes
the state government’s recent announcement to establish an Aboriginal Workforce Development Centre.
After a successful state-wide consultation process led by Training and Workforce Development Minister Peter Collier and his ‘Training Together – Working Together’ Committee, this is a great step forward to boost the participation of Indigenous people in skilled employment.
Chief Executive of CME, Reg Howard-Smith, said the new Centre would have strong potential to strengthen communications links with the resources sector.
“The resources sector is now the largest employer of Indigenous Australians outside of the public sector,” Mr Howard-Smith said.
“But Indigenous people are still disproportionately under-represented in the workforce and the sector is keen to continue to further develop opportunities”.
Over the years, economic partnerships between the resources sector and Indigenous communities have increased to become a key feature of resources development in Western Australia.
“We must focus on a shared process between industry, Indigenous leaders and their communities and all levels of government in developing actions to achieve the best outcomes”, he said.
The resources sector looks forward to working more closely with the Department of Training and Workforce Development to identify job opportunities and future skills requirements for Indigenous people across the state.