Commencements in apprenticeships and traineeships for the mining industry have risen to the highest level in seven years, according to the latest statistics released by National Centre for Vocational Education Research.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 calendar year was one of the strongest on record for commencements in mining-related trades.
The December quarter was particularly strong with commencements surging by 127 per cent (1759 workers) compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 (775).
Commencements in traditional trades in electrical, metal, automotive and construction areas drove this growth with a 219 per cent year-on-year increase (386) to the highest level in the last nine years and almost a 30 per cent increase over the 2020 calendar year.
These commencements mean apprentices and trainees increased to 4.4 per cent (9307) of the mining workforce up from 3.9 per cent (8295) in 2019. This indicates the industry supported 1012 more apprentices and trainees in 2020.
The good news wasn't just confined to commencements. Completions for apprenticeships and traineeships in traditional trades also increased by 53 percent (217) compared to 2019 (142).
The mining industry continues to work hard to upskill our workforce and be an employer of choice.
Apprentices and trainees that choose the mining industry can expect highly paid and secure jobs.
It is projected that more than 1,000 apprenticeships will be created by mining industry in partnership with the Australian Government through the Mining Skills Organisation Pilot, an initiative the MCA is proud to support.
Combined with other initiatives, close to 5000 new apprenticeship positions will be created in the mining industry over the next few years, mostly located in regional Australia.
As the economy rebounds from the pandemic, which has hit the job prospects of young Australians hard, the minerals industry is supporting regional economies in their time of need.
The mining industry is proud of these apprenticeship and traineeship statistics, in addition to keeping 240,000 people in work and generating $300 billion in export revenue and one-third of company tax revenues to fund essential services and infrastructure during the pandemic.
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