Patron - Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia
GTA is the national peak body representing the network of over 150 Group Training Organisations (GTOs) employing
over 40,000 apprentices and trainees throughout Australia.
1 March 2010
Resources taskforce sets high mark in building skills for
the future
Group Training Australia (GTA), representing the single largest network employing
apprentices and trainees,
today welcomed the report of the National Resources Sector
Employment Taskforce as a vital step in developing the skills and training needed
to help
build a vibrant mining and resources sector.
The discussion paper, Resourcing the Future,
raises important issues in developing a long
term and sustainable skills base for one of our most important industries.
CEO of Group Training Australia, Jim Barron said the needs of the resources sector over
coming decades warrant a fundamental analysis of where the necessary skills will be
sourced, who will provide them, and what level of training needs to be developed.
“We need to start looking beyond economic cycles and understand that the requirements of
the resources sector will be fundamental to our national prosperity for a considerable time.
“This means ensuring that our training system has the expertise and flexibility to ensure a
steady flow of the best people with the skills that allow us to compete at the highest
international standards.
“Encouraging young people to enter the industry is absolutely critical, as is making sure that
they are equipped to work on a range of resources projects in different locations, with the
maximum flexibility.
“The industry needs to strike a balance between the need for fly-in-fly-out (FIFO)
arrangements in meeting some of the industry’s immediate needs, and the longer term
requirement for a workforce with skills for the future. We shouldn’t resort to short term
measures as an excuse to drop meaningful trades training and skills development,” he said.
“GTA welcomes the approach of the taskforce in opening up a series of possible reform
questions that will need to be addressed if we are to avoid skills shortages that could
threaten our national prosperity.
“It’s an approach that requires all parties to adopt a national, not a sectoral, approach if we
are to get the very best out of our resources industry workforce,” he said.
GTA is a member of the Skills Reference Group of the Taskforce and looks forward to
contributing the views of the group training sector to the consultation process.
Media Contact:
Bob Bowden, Foresight Communications, 02 9241 2811, 0412 753 298,
bbowden@bowmac.com.au
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