Automation for Success

10/05/2010

Investing in people the key in mining automation

The resources industry is “on an inescapable and unstoppable march towards automation”

The rise of automation in the Australian resources industry will cause a major skills shortage in the next decade unless it invests in specialist training, a new industry report has revealed.

The report, titled Automation for Success, warned that the resources industry was “on an inescapable and unstoppable march towards automation” and that many organisations were not prepared for the impact automation would have on their businesses.

The report was released today (Monday May 10) by the Mining Industry Skills Centre. The Skills Centre’s Manager for Research and Development Deb Jones said the report found there was currently little opportunity to train staff to take up key roles in tackling automation.

"As the report indicates, the resources industry is on an inescapable and unstoppable march towards automation so we need to invest in the right people and ensure they have the best training pathways now," Ms Jones said.

“It might sound counter-intuitive to talk about investing in people in the area of automation but that is the lesson to be learned from past skills shortages. The worst-case scenario for the industry would be to adopt a ‘worry later’ approach.”

The report is part of a Skills Formation Strategy funded by the Queensland Department of Education and Training. The research was conducted in partnership with the Cooperative Research Centre for Mining (CRC Mining).

“This report will be invaluable for the resources industry if it heeds the warnings contained within," Ms Jones said.

“It is far more cost-effective to plan now for the skill requirements of an automated industry rather than end up missing out on implementing more efficient technologies simply because of an inadequate supply of specialised employees.”

The report identified the role of Automation Technician as crucial to the ability of organisations to automate their operations. It stated that 1500 workers would be required on mine sites across Australia in the para-professional role within the next ten years.

The people working in the Automation Technician role will also be in demand from the emerging Liquid Natural Gas and Coal Seam Gas industries and the national broadband roll out project. The report revealed that no current training program had the capacity to develop workers for the role. 

Ms Jones said that in addition to highlighting the issues associated with a failure to plan for automation, the report also detailed strategies for industry to plan and develop its workforce to take on the new technology.  

“The industry is in the unique and enviable position of being able to work together to develop a training pathway for these new roles. If we can do that the result will be workers gaining the exact specialised skills that the industry will need to benefit from automation,” Ms Jones said.

“It is a rare opportunity and one that we want to encourage organisations to grab with both hands.”

The report identified a number of priorities for industry to manage the move towards automation including the formation of a training capacity working group and increasing industry uptake of electrical apprentices across the sector.

“The resources industry and stakeholders can strengthen their success with regard to workforce planning and development aligned to automation by unifying their approach and addressing challenges from a holistic perspective,” Ms Jones said.

“The strategies can succeed in supporting the industry with its skilling needs, but this can only be achieved with industry and stakeholder collaboration and expertise.”

The Mining Industry Skills Centre will be running a series of regional workshops to discuss the findings of the report with industry and to call for industry involvement in the development of new training pathways.

To receive a copy of Automation for Success or to express interest in participating in the workshops please contact the Mining Industry Skills Centre on 07 3872 8500.

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For more information on Automation for Success or to obtain a copy of the report please contact Kellie Lister on 0427 657 594 or Michelle Sprigg on msprigg@miskillscentre.com.au or (07) 3872 8500.

About the Mining Industry Skills Centre

The Mining Industry Skills Centre is a not for profit organisation, formed as a collaborative venture between the mining industry and government, to establish a centre of excellence for the development and implementation of training initiatives in the industry.

The Mining Industry Skills Centre's vision is to create a "one stop shop" for both industry and government on all matters relating to training and the development of a sustainable workforce to meet the mining industry's current and future needs.

For more information on the Skills Centre and its projects, visit www.miskillscentre.com.au. You can also join the mailing list for the Skills Centre’s quarterly newsletter on the homepage of the website.