AUSTRALIA’S first Indigenous Member of the House of Representatives, Mr Ken Wyatt MP, will address resource industry employers in Perth today who are meeting to discuss the latest strategies used, and trends experienced in, both training and securing the employment of indigenous Australians.
AREEA Manager for Nationally Recognised Training, Beverley Long, said employers are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits which flow to both themselves and employees through the employment of Indigenous Australians.
“With tailored training employers can meet their own needs and create an environment where individuals and local communities can see clear and positive outcomes flowing from training programs,” Mrs Long said.
“AREEA’s Indigenous Education and Training Best Practice Forum has been designed so participants can openly discuss and share their experiences in delivering employment opportunities and training to indigenous employees across the nation’s resource industry,”
“With such a high demand for labour in the resources sector, AREEA is pleased to be able to bring together an expert panel of speakers to candidly discuss what is working and what isn’t when it comes to effective employee engagement strategies.”
Mrs Long said resource industry employers for some time now have been pioneering some of the most innovative and proactive employee engagement and retention strategies seen in Australia.
“With Indigenous unemployment rates being some three and a half times higher than the national average, it is important to look at what strategies have successfully been utilised by employers within the sector to both successfully engage Indigenous workers as well as provide them with training necessary to secure their ongoing employment,” she said.
“Given the geographical location of many of our employers operations, the resources industry is often largely responsible for being the major contributor of training and employment opportunities to the residents of rural and remote communities, including largely indigenous communities.”
Mrs Long said participants at the half-day Forum would hear from practitioners from companies such as: Sodexo, Compass, Macmahon Contractors, Fortescue Metals Group, Downer EDI Mining and Rio Tinto as well as the Federal Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
The Forum will be opened at 11:00 by Mr Ken Wyatt MP, the Member for Hasluck.
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