The Queensland Resources Council (QRC) has welcomed Queensland Government funding for an initiative to address skills shortages and create job opportunities for groups under-represented in the mining and energy workforce.
Heralding a period of systemic change for the sector, QRC Chief Executive Ian Macfarlane said the $963,000 made available through the Workforce Connect Fund will support the QRC’s new Resources W.I.D.E (Workforce Inclusion & Diversity Engagement) project.
“Resources W.I.D.E offers benefits to job seekers from under-represented backgrounds and to employers in the resources sector facing the challenge of attracting and retaining skilled workers,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“This program targets women, Indigenous Australians, people from culturally diverse backgrounds, veterans, refugees, and neurodiverse people who are looking for employment in the resources and energy sector in Queensland.
“The QRC will work with organisations like CQUniversity, Queensland Social Enterprise Council and the Indigenous representative bodies to help 100 job seekers in these under-represented groups and 220 employers to connect,” he said.
“The project will help resources companies and small to medium-sized enterprises implement diversity and inclusion initiatives that will open up employment opportunities for groups who have not been traditionally represented in the industry.”
Underpinned by evidence-based research by CQUniversity, the QRC’s Resources W.I.D.E Digital Hub will house practical ideas, tools and connections to a range of services in a way that is easily accessible to companies wishing to implement diversity and inclusion programs.
“This funding will help address the urgent need for new solutions to the current skills shortage in the resources sector and open up opportunities for a wider range of people in the community to join our workforce,” Mr Macfarlane said.
“The project will help mining and energy companies determine the why, what and how more under-represented groups can be successfully employed and retained in supportive workforce environments which embraces, respects and connects employees from all kinds of backgrounds.”
