Mining Industry Skills Centre report to get hearts racing

23/06/2009

The Mining Industry Skills Centre today launched Stage One of the Resources Industry Heartbeat Project, an Australian-first initiative that facilitates workforce planning at an industry-wide level, so that investments and strategies can be targeted to ensure a sustainable and productive resources industry workforce for the future.

 

The current turbulent and uncertain environment increases the importance of being able to make informed and strategic workforce management decisions, and the Heartbeat Project has the tools to do this.

 

Supported by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), Stage One of the Heartbeat Project enters human resources (HR)

data into a workforce planning tool to produce a report on the current and future state of 16 pre-determined skill sets.

 

In a rare move for competing entities, the HR information included in the Project has been provided by nine major Australian resources industry organisations.

 

As participants, the companies have access to a web-based tool where they can analyse their company’s workforce data and compare it to industry-wide workforce data, allowing them, for the first time, to fully understand and plan for the future of their workforce.

 

The Mining Industry Skills Centre’s Manager of Strategic Development Ms Jenny Neumann said that until now, there has been a critical gap in the data available to allow a detailed understanding of the resources industry’s workforce.

 

”This gap has inhibited human resources planning at an industry-wide level. The Heartbeat Project is focused on closing this gap by providing the data necessary to enable the industry to plan a skilled and sustainable workforce now and for the future,” Ms Neumann said.

 

“Stage One of the Heartbeat Project provides a current snapshot of the industry’s workforce using both internal and external industry data and incorporates HR data from mine sites in a number of states. It has also seen the collaboration of mining organisations from both the coal and metalliferous sectors who have permanent and contractor workforces.

 

Ms Neumann said the Heartbeat Project had encouraged nine of Australia’s most influential resources companies from various sectors to work together to address the current skilling issues faced by their organisations and the industry as a whole.

 

“The data generated from the Project is unique in that it focuses on skill-specific job roles. This allows the resources industry and its stakeholders to target and effectively prepare for the future of their workforce,” Ms Neumann said.

 

“For years we have been talking about how we need to use workforce planning tools to effectively prepare for the future of our industry’s workforce. The Heartbeat Project will now allow us to fully understand the existing gaps and plan an effective way forward.”

 

How did we get to this Stage?

 

The Heartbeat Project pilot was launched in December 2006 and initially targeted the Queensland resources industry.

 

Ms Neumann said the pilot was a success in Queensland and the results helped to identify a need for the Project at a national level.

 

“DEEWR heard about the Project and provided funding so that the Skills Centre could increase the scope of the Project. The team here at the Skills Centre then re-visited the Project plan and invited companies with a national interest and/or mine sites outside of Queensland to participate,” she said.

 

“Workforce data for job roles such as Auto-Electricians, Boilermakers, and Mining Engineers was collected from these companies and collated and analysed using workforce planning methodologies. The data produced allowed our organisation to identify which job roles are currently under the most stress now and into the future.

 

“The Heartbeat Project also allows current and projected skills shortages to be displayed graphically with further functionality available by way of developing scenarios to address skills gaps,” said Ms Neumann.

 

The following companies are involved in the Heartbeat Project:

• Anglo Coal Australia • BHP Billiton • BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance • Centennial Coal • Downer EDi

Mining • Leighton Contractors • New Hope Coal • Newcrest Mining • Xstrata Copper

Heartbeat Project Report