Business
7 August, 2024
Mount Isa TAFE driving a new green agenda with government funding
There are some exciting times ahead at the Mount Isa campus.
The first renewables training “classroom on wheels”, as well as a state-of-the-art building dedicated to green energy and critical minerals education, will be offered to North West students following a $7.4 million funding injection into the Mount Isa TAFE campus.
Campus manager Luella Kay said the announced funding package from the state government followed significant interest for workforce training programs from energy sector proponents looking to develop new projects across the region.
With planned closures at Mount Isa Mines, she said it was also possible the new training opportunities would provide options for any affected workers looking to upskill when the underground copper operations cease.
Ms Kay said an industry group would be established within three months that would build on growing energy sector relationships.
She said the group would provide guidance to Mount Isa TAFE educators to ensure the facility would cater its training and educational content towards the specific demands of North West renewable and critical minerals projects.
Ms Kay said a locally-focused pilot program would be up and running by next year.
She said the TAFE was focused on retaining the existing skilled workforce in our region.
“As a campus, we are continually asking ourselves how can we create an environment in Mount Isa and across the wider region that will help individuals remain in the North West longer,” she said.
“We aim to provide opportunities for students to gain skills that will help them make a decision to remain in our community while also having at their disposal all the tools they need to create the career they would find enjoyable and meaningful.”
Ms Kay said the Mount Isa campus planned to establish a local renewable energy training hub that builds on a similar facility already established in Townsville.
Following the planned industry consultation, the campus would also acquire any machinery required by the local renewables sector to include in its classroom teaching.
“The new facility will be entirely local industry driven – in the past months we have developed a list of employers and mines that are coming into the region or are already established, and we will be sending out information to them about becoming a part of this new facility,” Ms Kay told North West Weekly.
Aside from the campus facility, these machines can then also be attached to the education truck, enabling TAFE to take its training outside Mount Isa and directly onto work sites across the North West.
This renewables energy training truck will be the first of its kind in Queensland.
Ms Kay said the mobile education truck would address concerns over the time and costs some North West businesses and students have to commit to travel to the Mount Isa for specialised training.
“We want to open doors for anyone interested in upskilling or transitioning for whatever reason,” she said.
“We work with individuals on a case-by-case basis to rework their future career plan.
“There are lots of reasons someone might have their career direction change and its important they have someone who understands the region and the options the region provides.”
Ms Kay said providing up-to-date training was central to retaining a local workforce that benefits the future economic development of the region.
She said the skill set of students in Mount Isa was well above the state average and had repeatedly exceeded her expectations.
“I believe that per head of population, we have extremely intelligent, naturally inclined mechanical minds among our students and we want them to stay here and help support and build the region,” Ms Kay said.
“We have students who go through our school system and they see their parents working in the mines or in similar areas and they hear these engineering and mechanical and electrical conversations all their lives.
“So when they come out of the school, they already have a depth of learning we don’t see in other regions.
“We have teams of apprentices in our (campus) workshops that are connecting the dots with each other – they are talking about the latest ideas among themselves and they are sharing videos on YouTube on welding ideas, for example.
“The conversations I hear among our students are very different to the conversations happening at other schools around the state.
“The students in Mount Isa are exceptional and it all starts from the time they are children.
“That’s why we want to keep them here so our entire community can benefit.”