Premier Mark McGowan and Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery today announced two ground-breaking automation courses will commence at South Metropolitan TAFE's Munster campus from Semester 2, 2019.
This is the first achievement of the Resource Industry Collaboration between the McGowan Government, South Metropolitan TAFE and Rio Tinto, with Rio Tinto contributing $2 million towards the new training program.
The Collaboration includes Rio Tinto and other major employers, such as FMG, BHP and Komatsu, representatives from TAFE WA, Scitech and The University of Western Australia, and was created by the McGowan Government in 2018 to build the skills and capabilities of the Western Australian workforce.
The new automation courses will position WA workers to take full advantage of the many exciting opportunities automation is expected to deliver to the industry and economy.
The WA mining industry is a global leader in automation, with Rio Tinto leading the way in its adoption of autonomous trains, trucks and drills.
Certificate II in Autonomous Workplace Operations will be delivered as a pilot VET for secondary students from Cecil Andrews College, Gilmore College, Baldivis Secondary College and Karratha Senior High School.
The micro-credential course, Working Effectively in an Automation Workplace, is a skill set that trade qualified workers and apprentices can use to improve their skills in automation.
As stated by Premier Mark McGowan:
"This is a great example of industry working in partnership with government to ensure our training sector creates a highly skilled workforce.
"These new courses will allow us to maintain our competitive advantage as a leader in automation technology in Australia and ensure local people have the skills for the new jobs that are being created through technological innovation.
"They will also ensure the diversification of our economy and help Western Australians assist the mining industry well into the future."
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
"These new automation courses will position WA to take full advantage of the many opportunities automation is expected to deliver to industry and the WA economy.
"They will help meet the needs of the mining and resources industry and set up our WA workforce for years to come."
