Within the People Strategies Portfolio CME is focused on the following strategies to deliver the industry’s vision:
- People - Everyone in the industry understands, and is trained to manage, the inherent hazards and risks
- People – Education and training systems responsive to industry needs
- People – Efficient and effective skilled migration system
- People – Increase the size of the skilled labour pool
- People – Flexible employment relationships that reflect direct relationships
- Communities – Fly-In, Fly-Out is a sustainable work practice
- Innovation – A Government framework that facilitates investment in innovation
- Innovation – Industry wide commitment to shared research and development collaboration
- Innovation – Innovation within the industry attracts the best researchers and students
Projects & Issues
Career for ME Initiative
The outcome of this initiative is to have Career Advisors within the various levels of education and training systems advocate the benefits, opportunities and pathways within the resources sector on behalf of the Chamber of Minerals and Energy.
There are five consecutive strategies:
- Educators’ and Career Advisors’ Conferences
- People for the Future Website
- Career Advisors and Educators’ Tours
- Speakers Bureau
- Career Expo’s
Resourceful Schools Project
The Resourceful Schools project is a partnership between the CME, the resources sector and a pool of selected private and public schools that is tasked with facilitating potential opportunities that could be created for tomorrow’s workforce both from a career and curriculum perspective to make a difference in assisting to address the skills shortage in Western Australia for the resources industry. For a list of schools in this program, click here
Working in Partnership Across Western Australia
The Working in Partnership Program (WiP) is coordinated by the Federal Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism and solely focuses on enhancing long term relationships between the mining industry and indigenous communities.
It’s key areas of focus centre on economic empowerment; business opportunities; education and training; cultural awareness; capacity building; and employment.
CME has to date, participated in a number of WiP forums across the state to develop an action plan and partnerships to build a skilled local workforce in regions.
Regional Partnership Agreements
The reinvigorated Minerals Council of Australia /Australian Government Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the minerals industry and Government in working together to increase Indigenous workforce capacity has enabled continued work of the overarching Regional Partnership Agreements.
Under the initial MoU, 6 of the 8 pilot sites were identified in WA: - Port Hedland; Ashburton/Roebourne; Newman; Wiluna; East Kimberley; and Boddington.
The People Strategies Portfolio seeks to assist in assisting RPAs maximising success through supporting a regional approach driven and owned by the community and Indigenous stakeholders.
Resources Training in Focus
The People Strategies Portfolio focuses on advocating for and promoting the focus on training by the resources sector. Current initiatives include:
- Resources Industry Training Council (RITC) – A new arrangement to better capitalise on high level industry advice to Government on training.
- Resources Training Survey – CME in association with the RITC will conduct a survey of mining, petroleum, manufacturing and scientific research and analytical companies to determine their current and future workforce and training needs as well as training expenditure.
Education Focus on the Resources Sector
The Western Australian resources sector is the largest private employer in regional and remote WA, and the largest private sector employer of Indigenous Australians – with planned resource projects for the State over the next few years valued at more than $73 billion. The WA education sector must encourage the supply of an innovative and skilled workforce to meet current and future demands of the industry. CME consider that education is fundamental for students to be able to participate and prosper in society and to ensure that the opportunities made available by the next period of growth are fully realised. Investigation has identified that ‘tomorrow’s workforce’ aren’t being exposed to the significant opportunities and prosperity of the resources industry in the education sector as they could be. CME is engaged in curriculum review, select schools student involvement, professional development of teachers and educators and enriching science though working with a range of facilitative providers.
International and Interstate Recruitment
As the WA economy returns to a position of rapid growth, there will need to be ongoing strategies to address skills shortages across the People Strategies Portfolio. The WA resources sector will still need to attract a significant number of employees internationally to address workforce needs. There will also most likely be a strategy re-introduced going forward to 2012, to attract and retain skilled workers from the Eastern States to Western Australia.
Attraction and Retention of Women in the Resources Industry
The People Strategies Portfolio focuses on advocating for and promoting the focus on addressing the underrepresentation of women in the resources sector. Current projects include:
- A Women in Resources Webpage – to be included within the current CME webpage and also the People for the Future webpage www.peopleforthefuture.com.au
- WA Women in Resources Awards - to advocate the sector as an exciting career option for women and to promote and advocate industry best practice and approaches in workforce diversity.
- Promotion of CME Workforce Report and Tool: ‘Attraction and Retention of Women in the WA Resources Sector’
Attraction/Retention of Indigenous People in the Resources Sector
The People Strategies Portfolio focuses on advocating for and promoting the focus on addressing the underrepresentation of Indigenous employees in the resources sector. Current projects include:
- Indigenous Employment Panel – to help job seekers and employers develop the skills, knowledge and expertise to maximise sustainable employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians.
- Indigenous Australian Engineering Summer School – In collaboration with Curtin University of Technology and Engineering Aid, a program designed to engage young Indigenous students in the resources Industry
- Indigenous Networking Initiative – to bring together Indigenous people that work within the resources sector to meet, share best practice successes, potentially allow for greater professional networking and mentoring based on need, and where appropriate, to advise CME on Indigenous workforce matters including workforce participation, education and training.
Curtin University/CME Memorandum of Understanding
The Curtin / CME Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been established to assist to develop the capacity of the minerals and energy sector to respond to skills shortages through collaboration with tertiary education organisations and research to benefit the industry.
Enriching Science Unlocking Resources Advisory Group
The Enriching Science Unlocking Resources (ESUR) Advisory Group has been established to facilitate ‘people strategies’ initiatives to expand the pool of students with interest and academic strength in science and science literacy utilising the context of the WA resources sector.
The ESUR advisory is made up of representation from:
Committee
The People Strategies Committee is tasked with leading policy development on human resources, education and training, recruitment and retention issues impacting the resources sector.
The People Strategies Committee is Chaired by Mr Phil Stevenson of Newmont Asia Pacific.
Click here to view the list of CME member companies represented on the People Strategies Committee.
Working Groups
The People Strategies Committee and Portfolio are supported by the following working groups:
Women In Resources Reference Group
The WiRRG is tasked with assisting with ‘people strategies’ initiatives to address the imbalance of Women in the resources sector.
WiRRG members
People Strategies Indigenous Working Group
The PSIWG is tasked with assisting with ‘people strategies’ initiatives to address the underrepresentation of Indigenous employees in the resources sector.
PSIWG members
Training Working Group
The TWG is tasked with assisting with ‘people strategies’ initiatives to address the focus on training in the resources sector.
TWG members