FAQs

Formally known as the Queensland Mining Industry, Training and Advisory Board (QMITAB) the organisation was relaunched in 2006 as a centre for excellence and renamed the Mining Industry Skills Centre Incorporated.

The Mining Industry Skills Centre is a Queensland based, not-for-profit organisation that partners with industry and informs government to maximise the skills of workers in the resources industry to assist in the sustainability of the industry.

Initially formed as a collaborative venture between the mining industry and Queensland Government, the charter of the Mining Industry Skills Centre has grown to focus on the whole industry and works with mine-sites across the country on training initiatives. 

The Mining Industry Skills Centre has the charter to ‘assure the timely development of a sustainable, skilled workforce aligned to the industry’s requirements’.

To access the Resources Industry Training Fund Application Pack, please click here.

If you are already a Passport holder and need to order a replacement card:

Please click here  to order online and pay with credit card

or

Please click here to download and complete this form for payment via direct deposit, credit card or cheque/money order.

For further information on Generic Induction Passports, please email gi@miskillscentre.com.au.

Purpose

The Mining Industry Skills Centre believes training must be directly linked to the knowledge and skills that employees require to work safely and productively in the mining industry.

The purpose of Generic Induction training is to:

• Enable a new starter on a mine site to work safely until further on-the-job-training is provided
  
• Give a new starter a “feel” for the industry into which they are entering
  
• Eliminate the need for repetitive induction training

How Does it Work?

GI training offers five different courses including:

• Metalliferous Core: A two-day program which covers an Introduction to the Mining Industry, Legislation, Rules and Regulations, General Safety, Managing Work Hazards, Tagging, Isolation and Permits, Traffic Rules, and Emergency Procedures. 
• Metalliferous Elective (Underground):A half-day program which requires the successful completion and currency of the Metalliferous certification and covers Introduction to Underground Mining, General Safety, Controlling Hazards in an Underground Environment, Mobile Equipment, Introduction to Ground Support and Control, and Emergency Procedures.
• Coal Core: A two-day program which covers an Introduction to the Mining Industry, Legislation, General Safety, Managing Hazards, Risk Management, Isolation and Tagging, Traffic and Mobile Equipment Procedures, Emergency Procedures, Life Saving First Aid, Fire Fighting and Prevention, andThe Environment.
• Coal Elective (Underground): A one-day program which requires the successful completion and currency of the Coal Core certification and covers Underground Mining Techniques, Obligations Under the Law, General Underground Safety, Managing Underground Work Hazards, Spontaneous Combustion, Introduction to Strata Support, and Emergency Underground Procedures.
• Extractive

Upon successful completion of one or more of these courses, the employee can obtain a credit card sized “Generic Induction Passport.” When this is presented at a Queensland mine site, the employee only needs to complete a brief induction that covers site-specific issues and practices. Click here for re-ordering information.

The new-look GI

The original GI Program was successfully launched to the industry in 1997 and widely accepted by the Queensland mining industry. The most recent review occurred in 2006, when a thorough, independent review of the program was conducted by the University of Queensland leading to the revitalised GI and GI Refresh programs being launched to the industry in early 2007.
 
In addition to the revitalisation of the existing programs, the launch of the new Heavy Industry Generic Induction also took place in the first quarter of 2007. This two-day program is a new venture in Generic Induction and includes Legislation, Regulation and Procedures, Work Process Model, Safety Signs, Safety Devices and PPE; Managing Work Hazards; Fit for Work; Isolation, Tagging and Permits; and, Emergency Procedures.
 
The revised GI Program was offically re-launched in April where Derek Hunter delivered a captivating speech giving an insight into the process the Skills Centre undertook to ensure the refresh GI Program met the needs of the mining industry.

Click here for more detailed information on the Generic Induction Program, Generic Induction Refresh and Generic Induction Heavy Industry.

Click here for information on Generic Induction training providers.

For information on careers in the mining industry, please visit our careers page.

The aim of the Mining Industry Skills Centre’s Skills Strategy is to engage industry and its stakeholders to collectively improve the workforce quality and sustainability for the mining industry. The project is working towards the development of a holistic Skills Strategy for the industry for implementation from the end of 2007.

This work is closely aligned with the Mining Industry Heartbeat Project which collects workforce data directly from mining companies to project where critical skills shortages exist now, and will exist in the future.

Key Outcomes of the Skills Strategy

The development of the Strategy has a three-phase approach. The first phase involved researching current training practices within the industry and identifying priorities for change. This work has now been completed and the feedback from over 120 stakeholders has been aggregated.

The second phase will involve the development of a Skills Strategy for the industry based on the priorities for change identified in phase one. This work is currently underway and will involve the delivery of a draft strategy to the industry in late 2007 for feedback, with a final document being released by the end of the year.

Phase two of the Skills Strategy has been completed. 

Please click here to download your copy of the document.

The final phase will be the implementation of the industry endorsed Strategy which will begin at the end of 2007. This will be achieved through the development of action plans and taskforces supported by the industry. A Strategic Leaders Group will also be developed to ensure the Strategy remains focused on industry needs.

Overall outcomes of the project

• An appropriate number of employees with the relevant knowledge and skills to carry out their work efficiently and safely
  
• Development and provision of a sustainable workforce with the knowledge and skills required to achieve business goals
  
• Promotion of career opportunities to encourage the development of a future workforce
  
• Accessibility of training opportunities for the greatest talent pool available to provide companies with recruitment choices
  
• Consistency in training quality and content to ensure a safe, efficient and mobile workforce

The Mining Industry Skills Centre is committed to working in close conjunction with the industry in order to identify their training needs and to implement workable and timely solutions that address these needs.

For further information on the Mining Industry Skills Strategy, please contact the Skills Centre on 07 3872 8500.

The Mining Industry Skills Centre’s networks operate in Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory offer representatives from industry and government as well as service providers and RTO's the ability to stay in touch, share news and meet to discuss the training issues affecting the mining industry in their region.

For more detailed information on the other network groups, please click here.

If you have any queries in regards to the Network Groups, please email efirth@miskillscentre.com.au. 

For information on Training Resources, please visit our Training Coordinator Resources page.

How we can help

The Mining Industry Skills Centre offers a consultancy service whereby mining industry companies can have customised training programs developed or current training initiatives examined.
 
The consultants determine individual company requirements and work with site personnel to develop and implement training solutions for production and safety issues.
 
The Mining Industry Skills Centre’s consultants have tertiary qualifications in training and come from various backgrounds including engineering, mining and science. This ensures that no matter what the training requirement, the Mining Industry Skills Centre will have a consultant that will significantly increase productivity and operator safety while reducing operating costs.

What does it include?

The Consultancy service covers a range of areas including:

• Skills profile
  
• Training Needs Analysis
  
• Training Plan
  
• Resource Development
  
• Assessment Tools
  
• Compliance Audits

A main feature of this service is the compliance audit. The Mining Industry Skills Centre can conduct audits as a one-off activity in order to give an independent review of your organisation's Training Program, or alternatively, can provide a periodic auditing service to monitor your Training Program as an ongoing service.
For more information on the Mining Industry Skills Centre’s consultancy services, please call 07 3872 8500

For information on the Heartbeat Project, please visit the Heartbeat Project page.

With funding provided by the Department of Employment, Training and the Arts, the Mining Industry Skills Centre purchased 18 state-of-the-art simulators from virtual reality specialist 5DT.

Capabilities

The simulators cover five core-mining areas in both surface and underground mining, and their primary aim is to create a safe yet realistic training experience for new and existing employees in the mining industry.
 
The simulators offer improved capability to train and assess emergency responses to unusual mine site situations in a completely safe environment.

 
How can the simulators be used and where are they located?

The simulators will be used in pre-employment, operator upskilling and refresher training programs in conjunction with mine sites and quarries, as well as in schools around the state, allowing students to virtually experience the realities of working on a mine site.

Simulators are currently located at the Construction Training Centre in Brisbane and at Macarthur Coal’s Coppabella mine. For information about hiring simulators to train your staff, please phone the Mining Industry Skills Centre on 07 3872 8500.

The Mining Industry Skills Centre is currently working with industry stakeholders to develop a simulator-based work readiness program for the resources industry. No further information is available at this stage. Please check back at a later date for details, or register your interest by emailing your name and contact details to simulators@miskillscentre.com.au. Please note that it may be several months before a program is ready. We may not respond immediately to expressions of interest, and will forward information as soon as it is available.

Technological advantages

The Mining Industry Skills Centre is leading the way in simulator training, as the 5DT simulators allow users to virtually experience underground mining techniques such as roof bolting, longwall mining and continuous mining, which is a simulator first and unique to the 5DT equipment.
 
The 5DT simulators offer superior technological advantages such as:

• Six degrees of freedom motion base
  
• A fourth viewing screen for reversing
  
• A fifth screen for classroom training
  
• Windows based computers that allow easy upgrades, remote maintenance, and inexpensive repairs

For more information on our simulators please email simulators@miskillscentre.com.au.

The Mining Industry Skills Centre is leading the way in simulator training, as the 5DT simulators allow users to virtually experience underground mining techniques such as roof bolting, longwall mining and continuous mining, which is a simulator first and unique to the 5DT equipment.
 
The 5DT simulators offer superior technological advantages such as:

• Six degrees of freedom motion base
  
• A fourth viewing screen for reversing
  
• A fifth screen for classroom training
  
• Windows based computers that allow easy upgrades, remote maintenance, and inexpensive repairs

For more information on our simulators please email simulators@miskillscentre.com.au