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February 8, 2012 – Australian Federal Government provides support to Australians for resources sector jobs amidst calls from the Australian entrepreneurs particularly in the mining states for more flexibility with Australian working visa. The country’s worsening skills shortage driven by the country’s massive resources boom has caused the nation’s employers to recruit offshore for those who want to work in Australia, and driving up reliance on 457 Australia working visa holders.

Once Minister for Tertiary Education and Skills, Senator Chris Evans, completed a tour of key resource projects run by Rio Tinto, Woodside and CITIC Pacific in the Pilbara town of Karratha looking at demand for skilled workers in the resource sector, Senator Evans concluded that nowhere are skilled workers more in demand than in the country’s growing resources sector.

With billions in resources projects continuing to come on line, along with the billions of on-going projects already on the line, Australia’s resource sector over the coming years is set to create tens of thousands of high skilled, high paying jobs in Australia.

Recent figures from Pit Crew Management Consulting Services have estimated that the total pipeline of committed and unapproved projects in Australia’s mining sector is worth a staggering $588.5 billion.

In Queensland alone, according to Queensland Resources Council Growth Outlook study, 66 major projects are either under study, committed or under construction in Queensland. The estimated amount spent by the industry to develop those projects between 2012 and 2020 is forecast at $142 billion.

In the next 10 years, up to eight separate LNG projects are in Gladstone alone, including the Queensland Curtis LNG (QCLNG) project, which involves the construction of a two-train 7.4 MMt/a CSG-to-LNG production and export facility on the Queensland coast, and the massive Australia-Pacific LNG project (APLNG) linking Roma and Gladstone, which is estimated to have a capital cost of about US$20 billion.

With these massive projects, the Government is also focused on ensuring that Australians have the opportunity to get the skills they need to take advantage of these jobs.

Senator Evans stated that the Gillard Government is currently working with stakeholders in increasing the number of trade professionals, engineers and geoscientists, strengthening workforce participation of local communities, as well as forging stronger ties between industry and education.

Currently, there are a wide range of activities underway, including:

Improving employment pathways for Indigenous people in the Pilbara through the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) and Australian Government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Indigenous Employment and Enterprise Development;

Forging stronger ties between industry and education through an Industry-led web portal – OresomeResources;

Increasing competency based progression through the 400 adult apprentices engaged by Bechtel Australia, 50 diesel fitters engaged by MacMahon, and 25 apprentice fitters engaged by Anglo American Metallurgical Coal, under the industry led National Apprenticeship Program;

Government funding of more than $20 million under the Critical Skills Investment Fund to support training for more than 4,000 learners in the resources sector. This includes more than $2.5 million for qualifications for the operation of oil and gas assets in WA;

Improving the attraction and retention of women in the resources sector through the Australian Women in Resources Alliance (AWRA), launched in Perth on 9 November 2011. The key focus of the project is to provide a catalyst for organisational change that promotes increased female engagement in enterprises in the resources and construction sectors; and

The Australian Council of Engineering Deans working with universities and industry peak bodies to increase the industry engagement in engineering degrees, including interdisciplinary project work for second year engineering students.

Senator Evans further stated that the ongoing reforms is aimed to provide people the opportunity to access high paying skilled jobs which will help address skill shortages in areas like the Pilbara. The resource sector’s demand for skilled labor has underlined the importance of the Government’s announcement regarding the diploma and advanced diploma vocational students no longer needing to pay upfront fees and other students would be guaranteed a subsidized training place worth up to $7,800.

source:
investinaustralia.com