The South Australian (SA) Department for Education and Rex Minerals will launch a new collaboration to create a long-term plan to help students from throughout the Yorke Peninsula enter the resources sector.
The career pathway program focuses on prospects for students and school leavers while also capitalising on the area’s industrial relationships.
Students from around the area will be able to pursue a defined road into the resources sector, forming a pipeline from education to a career.
“The resources pathway program demonstrates the Malinauskas Labor Government’s commitment to working with industry and local communities to ensure appropriate pathways are available to deliver skilled employees that meets industry demand,” Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer said.
Ardrossan Area School will host the resources pathway program beginning next year, with pupils invited to a career awareness day in June to discover more.
“Rex and Ardrossan Area School will continue to engage with other industry partners to support students and provide opportunities in the broader resource sector, developing fulfilling local career opportunities for those young people in the region,” Minister Boyer stated.
The program will include vocational training, a tailored curriculum, and industrial activities, with REX assisting students as part of the learning process through its Hillside Project, a copper and gold mine.
“Our discussions with the State Government have had a strong workforce focus on our Hillside Project, a copper and gold mine south of Ardrossan,” Rex Chief Operating Officer Jason Schell said.
“The school’s Resources Sector Industry Immersion Day will be available to all students in the region interested in learning more about the fantastic career opportunities at Rex and in the broader resource sector. Rex will be showcasing mining equipment on the day to the students,” Schell stated.
When the Hillside Project is completed, Schell explained that Rex will offer graduates of their training programs the option to enter their workforce through school-based apprenticeships.
The Ardrossan Area School will hold the Resources Sector Industry Immersion Day on 23 June.
“We are building relationships with key stakeholders that will see local students have a greater opportunity to work and live in this area for generations to come,” Ardrossan Area School Principal Margaret Roads said.
“Our Resource Sector Industry Immersion Day will provide students with access to equipment used in the resource sector, information sessions on the project and upcoming career opportunities,” Roads added.
