BHP has launched the School of Rock training program at the Olympic Dam site in South Australia, with focus on training people without mining experience.
The training has run over the past six months and broadens job opportunities for the next generation of employees.
It entails a five-week program of theory and practical training, as well as education on the company’s history, purpose, working culture and mental health.
Olympic Dam asset president Laura Tyler said the program was “an example of BHP playing its part in building South Australia’s skills base and providing new opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to join our team.”
The school has welcomed 87 people through the school over the past six months, with BHP reporting “positive results.”
BHP also stated the injury rate for new starters was significantly lower than the mine average and retention rates were also increasing.
“Olympic Dam is a world-class multi-generational resource that continues to make a significant contribution to the South Australian economy,” Tyler said.
“We are at an exciting time in Olympic Dam’s history. We are investing strategically in infrastructure and technology and developing our underground mine to ensure we continue to create shared value for South Australians for decades to come.”
South Australian premier Steven Marshall applauded BHP’s innovative skills training program for its future workforce.
“BHP’s commitment to expanding the pool of workers that mining operations in South Australia can draw upon dovetails neatly with the state government’s investment in 20,000 new work-based apprenticeships and traineeships,” Marshall said.
“The School of Rock helps deliver on a responsibility employers and governments share to ensure we are training the next generation of employees for the jobs of the future.”