The Mining Skills Organisation Pilot (MSOP) was born out of a 2019 Australian Government initiative to explore opportunities to strengthen industry engagement with the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.
The pilot focused on the knowledge that Australia’s future workforce would be more geographically distributed and digitally connected than ever before, requiring skills that are adaptable, transferable, and applicable to future needs.
Extensive national industry consultation across 2019 and 2020 led to the MSOP forming four initial project hubs, based on the industry’s immediate need to increase both the capacity and capability of its workforce.
In 2021, the MSOP became part of the Australian Minerals and Energy Skills Alliance (AUSMESA), an independent organisation funded by the Australian Government to engage with the mining and energy sectors and put learners at the centre of the (VET) system.
In 2023, we became the Mining and Automotive Skills Alliance (AUSMASA), a Jobs and Skills Council funded by the Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.
Objective
The objective of the project was to understand how we can produce tradespeople faster, without losing quality, thereby achieving a better fit between skill needs and training programs.
Scope
A model was developed that focused on apprenticeships for heavy-duty diesel mobile plant mechanics, a role in strong demand in the mining industry.
It was based on a series of occupational competencies and proof point assessments that could be used to assess apprentices’ knowledge and skills in a holistic, task-based way, at specific points across the apprenticeship period.
Objective
The objective of the project was to explore workforce planning, pathways and skillsets for workers looking to enter or transition into the mining, resources or energy sector from outside (complementary) industries.
Scope
The project included the development of a Mining Talent Portal that could be considered by the Mining and Automotive Skills Alliance as part of our work as a Jobs and Skills Council (JSC) under the core function of Promotion, Monitoring and Implementation.
It also achieved the development of the Fundamentals of Modern Mining training package.
Objective
The objective of this project was to build speed to market, and responsiveness to address issues around the identification, and prioritisation of skills needs.
Scope
A paper was developed to identify and prioritise new digital and technology content in training packages, informed by desktop research, and industry consultation, and tested with organisations in the innovation community.
The paper focused on the skills pipeline, identifying and forecasting the future skills needs of industry based on how and when emerging technologies might impact the workforce.
Objective
The objective of this project was to consider new ways of designing qualifications to improve flexibility and responsiveness, with consideration given to transferable and specific skills, now and in the future.
Scope
The model allows multiple requirements to be linked to an occupational competency and industry-relevant training and assessment requirements.
The model uses proof point assessments and the consultation undertaken indicated that the training and assessment requirements produced would be suitable across mining, civil construction, and agricultural industries.
Other projects
Find out more about the non-training package development projects we are progressing.
