The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources has issued a new strategy to encourage Australians to take up jobs in the resources industries.
The Department said Australia’s National Resources Workforce Strategy provided a forward-looking plan to help connect people with the skills and opportunities needed for a rewarding resources career.
Minister for Resources, Keith Pitt said the Strategy would ensure Australia had the skilled workers it needed to meet future demand.
“The resources sector represents half of Australia’s exports and directly employs over 260,000 people in Australia, while supporting more than one million other jobs across the economy,” Mr Pitt said.
“Employment in the sector has grown by 8.5 per cent between last February and November 2020, creating over 20,000 new jobs, and this growth trajectory is expected to continue,” he said.
“There are opportunities across both cities and regions, with employees working in hi-vis, lab coats and office spaces.”
Mr Pitt said the Strategy supported people to learn the skills they needed in order to take up available jobs.
“We particularly want to ensure that people living in regional communities have opportunities to study, train and upskill to take up these jobs,” he said.
He said the Strategy outlined measures in the three areas of opportunity, participation and quality.
Mr Pitt said $30 million had been allocated to establish a new School of Mining and Manufacturing at the Central Queensland University.
The Department’s 22-page Strategy can be accessed at this PS News link.
