New skills alliance tackles labour shortage.

The Australian Minerals and Energy Skills Alliance (AUSMESA) has been announced as one of the Australian Government’s new Jobs and Skills Councils (JSC) to address the severe labour shortage in the mining and resources sector. According to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the mining sector has the highest proportion of vacant positions. AUSMESA will focus on skills in the mining sector as it is a major contributor to the nation’s jobs, exports, revenue and lower emissions targets. With the help of $402 million from the Australian Government, AUSMESA will work with industry and Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) to align workforce planning for the sector and determine job roles, skills needs and training pathways. JSCs will operate as a national network of industry-owned and industry-led organisations to improve system responsiveness and drive high-quality outcomes for the VET sector, learners and business.