Commencements in apprenticeships and traineeships for the mining industry have risen again with 1,933 Australians starting an apprenticeship or traineeship in the March 2021 quarter, according to the latest statistics released by ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Centre for Vocational Education Research.
This is an increase of over 10 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2020 and is almost double the number of commencements in the same period in 2016.
In 2020 the Australian mining industry committed to creating 5,000 new apprenticeships and the figures released this week confirm the industry is well on the way to meeting this commitment.
More than 3,800 people have started apprenticeships or traineeships since the 2020 commitment.
The March data also shows 794 people completed their courses – a solid increase compared to the 742 completions in March 2020.
The MCA expects completions will further strengthen after the Australian government recently announced the $716 million Completing Apprenticeship Commencements program.
The mining industry continues to work hard to upskill our workforce and be an employer of choice.
More than 1,000 apprenticeships will also be created by the mining industry in partnership with the Australian Government through the Mining Skills Organisation Pilot, an initiative the MCA is proud to support.
Apprentices gain skills for life and the demand for skilled workers is forecast to increase, with Australian mining investing billions in adopting the latest technology, to improve safety, productivity and decarbonise.
Apprentices and trainees that choose the mining industry can expect highly paid and secure jobs.
