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Australian Geoscientist Skills and Employment
Advancement Network
AGSEAN President John Williams and Committee member Roger Staley met with the WA Minister for Employment and Training, Mike Board, on 13 September 2000.
The purpose of the meeting was to seek the Minister’s support in providing increased funding for mineral resources related technical training, particularly that which would assist underemployed geoscientists re-enter the workforce.
The following statistics were presented by AGSEAN to support its case:
· Of the $17M currently allocated to Mining and Metals training, only an estimated 3.5% is being taken up by students from, or aspiring to, the mineral resources sector. The remainder is allocated to the Metals sector - which includes training in foundry work, welding, boiler making, fitting etc. It is estimated that more than 95% of trainees that complete these courses are employed by, or soon join, engineering and fabrication companies.
· Central TAFE's Consolidated Revenue Funding (one of several funding methods available to it) allocation is just over $0.5M. Additional CRF funding to TAFE colleges in Kalgoorlie, East Pilbara and Hamersley Iron take the total to less than $1M. Whilst there are other methods of subsidizing courses, there is an increasing tendency for courses to be made available on a User Pays system.
· The WA Mineral Resources sector (ie that which doesn’t include energy commodities such as oil, gas and coal) produced A$11.2B in 1999 ‑ or 76% of WA's export income. This equates to the ENTIRE resources production of Canada and the USA ‑ individually also around A$11 B for the same period.
AGSEAN believes that this alone is sufficient reason for funding to be allocated on the basis of an industry’s revenue contribution to state coffers not, as is the case, on the relative percentage of personnel within employed within that sector.
· In a healthy exploration climate, for every Exploration Geologist employed there are at least 25 people in mining jobs. Furthermore, each mining job generates jobs for another 25 people in related service industries. Thus, there is potential for 625 jobs for each Exploration Geologist that re-enters the industry.
· Geoscientists are often perceived by employers outside the resources sector as lacking the breadth of skills necessary they seek in their employees. Rather than wasting time and energy trying to alter this view and, in order to stay close to their area of expertise, suitably trained Geoscientists may pursue other avenues within the resources sector computing and geotechnical roles are two examples where there is a short supply.
CRF funded training courses in areas such as these would thus significantly increase Geoscientists’ chances of re-entering the work force.
Other statistics presented previously by AGSEAN to government representatives and the press on the issue of training inadequacies are:
· WA is the largest mining state in the World
· Mining earns approximately three times the income for WA than farming
Despite this,
· Two thirds of the WA Department of Minerals & Energy income goes to Consolidated Revenue
· Agriculture WA spends $33M from the public purse each year training farmers
· Special training subsidies and courses are being offered to several hundred timber workers in WA’s south west following the recent contraction of that industry. There are no such plans at the moment to cater for the THOUSANDS of geoscientists and mine workers retrenched over the past three years
At the conclusion of the September meeting, AGSEAN requested that the Minister allocate an additional $330,000 to MINING (not Metals) courses and $165,000 to course development costs.
The Minister was sympathetic and broadly supportive of AGSEAN’s request. He was however, under the impression that a range of funding had been available, but that TAFE had been unable to fill the courses.
This belief contrasted with AGSEAN’s understanding of the situation because none of the 15 course related funding requests it had supported had been granted. In order to resolve this matter, the Minister arranged for AGSEAN to meet with TAFE authorities.
Roger Staley (representing AGSEAN) met with Brian Paterson and Anne Blythman (respectively the Managing Director of Central TAFE and Director of Central TAFE’s School of Mining Engineering and Construction) on October 31. It was evident that Central TAFE is very keen to increase its profile and be seen as a valued source of training in the mineral resources sector. Thus, the available funding possibilities will need to be evaluated by a working committee of Geoscientists and TAFE representatives. (To a large extent this is the function of an existing TAFE related body, the Minerals Industry Training Council). So, as to not double up on the MITC’s activities, the new group will meet regularly to establish how best to market courses, how to obtain the required number of potential attendees and the level of funding necessary.
The conclusion drawn by AGSEAN is that the availability of suitable TAFE courses and funding subsidies are a case of the squeaky wheel getting the grease if it squeaks loudly enough. The use it or lose it situation that prevails is an opportunity for WA Geoscientists to influence the types and frequency of courses they believe themselves and their peers will benefit from. Contributions on the matter will be gratefully received by AGSEAN via email to staleys@ozemail.com.au or by mail to PO Box 1447, West Perth WA, 6872.
Further details about AGSEAN and its activities are available at www.agsean.freeservers.com
AGSEAN also gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the AIG for its activities.