PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Diversified miner BHP this week welcomed the first 54 recruits in its Rail Academy traineeship programme that seeks to employ and train 200 train drivers over the next three years.
“We are committed to doing our part to address critical skills shortages and create new pathways for people to enter the mining industry. This $20-million investment will advance the skills base in rail, and train the next generation of train drivers,” said Western Australian iron-ore asset president Brandon Craig.
“Our train drivers are a vital part of our pit to port value chain and the new traineeships will create rewarding careers for our new recruits. The programme also demonstrates our commitment to create jobs and prosperity in regional Western Australia, with the training based at our rail headquarters in Port Hedland.”
Recruits will undergo an intensive ten-month training programme in which they will learn specialist skills in train shunting, communication systems and signalling, route planning, and safety and fatigue management.
At the end of the training, they will qualify with a certificate IV in train driving.
BHP’s train drivers are responsible for transporting 40 000 t of ore in each train across more than 1 000 km of track that connects BHP’s operations to Port Hedland.
More than 5 000 people applied for the programme, demonstrating the huge interest there is in local employment and skills development in the mining industry, BHP said this week.
BHP provides a number of pathways to join the mining sector, from school-based traineeships in the Pilbara, mature age traineeships such as those offered through the rail trainee driver programme and maintenance traineeships and apprenticeships at its FutureFit academy.