More skills flow through Western Australia pipelines

Boom times in the west have put pressure on skills availability in many areas of the oil and gas industry, including process plant operations.

Regional Industry Career Adviser for the South West Metro Region of Perth, Lee-Anne Reader, has been instrumental in putting together a partnership of industry, training organisations and schools that promises to greatly reduce the skills deficit.

School-based traineeships in oil and gas

In 2006, a Certificate I in Process Plant Engineering was on offer in the Kwinana Industry Education Partnership cluster of schools. However, its progress through to Certificate II was hampered by costs to schools and students, a small catchment area and barriers thrown up to work placements by the inherently hazardous nature of the work.

In 2007, Certificate II has become part of a year 12 School-based Apprenticeship, and an Aboriginal School-based Apprenticeship is being prepared for mid-2007 and 2008. Both apprenticeships are sponsored by oil and gas exploration companies with the latter being sponsored by Woodside.

Lee-Anne brought together many interested parties to overcome the barriers and make the apprenticeships a reality. Those contributing to the agreed model included Challenger TAFE, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, the Process Manufacturing Industry Training Council, Kwinana Industry Education Partnership, Bridging the Gap, the District Education Office and South Metropolitan Youth Link.

Numbers to grow

Fifteen young people are now doing their Certificate I and ten are completing Certificate II in Kwinana/Rockingham. That number is certain to grow as the training options are being extended to the Fremantle and Cannington districts, and independent and Catholic schools will come on board for the Aboriginal apprenticeship.

As further incentives to participation, the partnership has moved to remove the cost to schools of work placements, and has worked through occupational health and safety concerns at placements to break down a previously obstinate barrier.

The efforts of Lee-Anne and other Career Advice Australia providers through Youth Pathways and Local Community Partnerships have helped create pathways between school, further training and employment in a sector traditionally difficult for young people to engage in.

Feedback from students has been positive. One put it this way, ‘I was control operator and we had to start up and shut down the plant correctly and safely. It felt really good. Now I know I’d like to be an operator working in this industry.’

Contact

Lee-Anne Reader
Ph: 08 9550 1111