CONTINUAL employment of skilled graduates is key to supporting future growth in the resources and energy industry.

That was the message from Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills Karen Andrews who last week called on the industry to bolster its support for Australia’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.

In her speech at the Minerals Industry Education Summit, Minister Andrews said Australia’s minerals sector is one of the country’s largest users of vocational education and training services

“In 2016, there were around 92,000 program enrolments in the Resources and Infrastructure Industry Training Package (RII), which is the main VET qualification for the minerals sector,” Minister Andrews said.

“Our young people need high quality training and jobs, and our industries needs highly skilled workers.

“VET is about putting these two things together to enable growth and innovation, and our VET providers are delivering real skills for real careers.

Minister Andrews said that the partnership between the minerals sector and the VET was critical, and industry feedback was guiding the creation of training products tailored to industry needs.

“It is vitally important VET graduates have the skills and competencies that industry needs, so they can succeed in some of Australia’s most recognisable businesses, such as Rio Tinto and Peabody Energy,” she said.

“The mining and minerals sector is world-class and continues to grow, fuelled by increased urbanisation in Asia and ongoing government investment in infrastructure here in Australia as well.”

Minister Andrews also highlighted the flexibility of VET training pathways as a solution for the sector to gain workers with the right skills, by encouraging students and current employees to upskill, re-skill and develop expertise in a particular area by completing just a few units of competency, rather than a full qualification.

Australian Resources and Energy Group AREEA is directly involved in creating a world-class VET sector, focused on skills, innovation and industry needs, through its participation on the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC).

Tara Diamond, AREEA director industry services and the resource sectors representative on the AISC, said ongoing efforts in simplifying Australia’s VET sector are promising.

“As market conditions improve, many sectors of Australia’s resources and energy industry are beginning to once again feel the pinch of skills shortages,” Ms Diamond said.

“Through ongoing reform to Australia’s VET sector as part of a bigger picture vision for skills and labour readiness, our industry and the nation can be much better prepared for a sustained period of increased skills demand.”

AREEA’s recent submission to the Senate Select Committee on the Future of Work outlined the importance of training for the new skills and expertise required by Australian workers to operate and maintain new technologies.