Alliance Funds Indigenous Employment Initiative
Alliance funds indigenous employment initiative
THE Geraldton Iron Ore Alliance has committed $60,000 to undertake a study designed to create sustainable employment outcomes for indigenous people in the Mid West and Murchison region of Western Australia.
According to GIOA chief Rob Jefferies, once completed the study will provide important data on numbers of indigenous people in the Mid West and Murchison sub-regions interested in working in the resources industry as well as their preferred jobs, level of skill and job preparedness.
'Unemployment within the indigenous community is unacceptably high, with almost 50 per cent of the Mid West region's 3077 registered unemployed being Aboriginal people. Despite the fact that less than 10 per cent of the population of the Mid West are indigenous,' Jefferies said.
'The development of significant new mining projects in the region creates an opportunity for good employment outcomes for Aboriginal people in the Mid West.
'The purpose of this study is to collect key data which will assist in planning and progressing the delivery of jobs for these people.'
Jefferies spoke to MiningNews.net and said the information gathered in the study will be used to discover the locations of indigenous people across the region in order to find those close to alliance projects with a genuine interest in working in the mining industry.
He said it would then be a matter of determining the applicant's field of interest and also gathering information on related skills and experience.
This information will be used to develop appropriate training and support programs to optimise the employment of local indigenous people in the Mid West mining industry.
'The study is designed to create pathways for indigenous people towards employment,' Jefferies said.
Jefferies pointed out that with several mining projects still a few years from fruition, the study would target anyone from high school age right through the working age groups.
A consultant is expected to be engaged in the near future to assist with the study and employment process
Jefferies told MNn it is hoped the consultant will help provide opportunities for groups of potential employees to meet and talk to the companies within the alliance.
Jefferies said the study has enormous potential to help the skills shortage in the mining industry.
'We are planning for an industry with a life in excess of 40 years in the Mid West region and this is just one strategy being implemented to deliver sustainable outcomes for both the community and industry in this region,' he said.
The study has been initiated by the Mid West Mining and Aboriginal Economic Development Partnership of which the GIOA is a member.
The group includes indigenous organisations, government agencies and mining companies within the Mid West-Murchison region.
The GIOA is made up of eight iron ore mining companies: Mount Gibson Iron, Midwest Corporation, Crosslands Resources, Gindalbie Metals, Golden West Resources, Royal Resources, Asia Iron and Atlas Iron.