BHP has launched its new state-of-the-art FutureFit Academy in Western Australia as part of its five-year plan to create 2,500 new traineeships and apprenticeships for modern mining skills.
Launched in 2020, the BHP FutureFit Academy provides paid mining training for those without prior experience, with over 1100 participants and over 500 graduates securing jobs with BHP.
BHP President Australia Geraldine Slattery said the company committed $300 million to the Academy in 2020 to develop a skilled talent pipeline to enhance productivity and keep the Australian economy afloat.
“Minerals and mining are critical to Australia’s economy and the global energy transition. We have an enormous opportunity but also challenges to overcome to keep competing in the global arena, among them the need to build the skills needed in a modern mining sector,” Slattery stated.
The BHP FutureFit Academy is developing 2,500 new traineeships and apprenticeships over five years through its two academies in Western Australia and Mackay in Central Queensland, with entrants joining BHP in permanent jobs following graduation.
The immersive virtual reality technology mixed with workshop learning is used in the purpose-built learning academies to acquire skills and knowledge. They are completely prepared to replicate the workplace, including disability access, parent and prayer rooms.
“Through an innovative approach to training and employment, we’ve opened the door to a more diverse talent pool especially people from non-mining backgrounds who want to reskill or pursue a new career,” Slattery said.
“Our new BHP FutureFit Academy in Perth will provide an even better learning experience for the next wave of Australia’s tradespeople, technicians and maintenance professionals,” she added.
The new BHP FutureFit Academy in Forrestfield is more than double the size of its predecessor in Welshpool, with 110,000 square metres of additional workshop space and room for many more students.
Forrestfield also provides a broader curriculum, such as high-risk work licensing, maintenance associate and trade programs in auto electrical, fabrication mechanical fitting, and heavy diesel, and it is now delivering the apprentice program for BHP’s Western Australia Iron Ore and Nickel West operations.
