Mining Skills Organisation Pilot

Overview

The Mining Skills Organisation Pilot (the MSO) helped to shape the national training system to be more responsive to the skills needs of employers within the mining sector – from the identification of skills needs, to qualifications development, through to improving the quality of training delivery and assessment.

The MSO is one of three Skills Organisation pilots that informed broader improvements to the national training system. The Australian Government also announced pilots in the human services care and digital technology sectors.

The MSO was first established in May 2020 under the auspices of the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA). In late 2021, responsibility for the delivery of the pilot transitioned out of the MCA to the Australian Minerals and Energy Skills Alliance Limited (AUSMESA). The organisation recently changed its name to the Mining and Automotive Skills Alliance. The pilot concludes on 30 June 2023.

MSO Projects

Under the MSO, four project hubs were implemented in the following priority areas:

• Apprenticeships Hub - Understanding how we can produce tradespeople faster without losing quality, and ensuring we get a better fit between skills needs and training programs.
• Attraction and Retention - Focusing on workforce planning, pathways and skillsets for those looking to enter or transition into the mining, resources or energy sector from outside (complementary) industries.
• Digital Transformation - Building speed to market and responsiveness to address issues around the identification and prioritisation of skills needs for the mining, energy and resources sector.
• Qualification Reform Trials - Testing new ways of designing qualifications to improve the flexibility and responsiveness of qualifications design, and address transferable and specific skills for the industry now and into the future

Working collaboratively

Effective consultation arrangements captured perspectives of employers, unions, broader industry and other key stakeholders in the sector are considered.

It established targeted working groups and a broader consultative group to keep the sector informed of progress and opportunities to contribute.

The MSO worked with existing bodies across the VET sector on areas of shared interest and crossover to minimise duplications of effort and maximise the opportunities from this reform.

Evaluation

The three Skills Organisation Pilots are currently being evaluated to explore strengths and weaknesses of the model. Lessons learnt from the evaluation are helping to inform broader improvements to the national VET system, including industry engagement reforms. For more information on the evaluation, visit the Department’s Evaluation of the Skills Organisation Pilot Program page

For more information on the pilot projects, visit the Mining and Automotive Skills Alliance website.

For all other queries email MiningSOPilot@dewr.gov.au.