The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and the Government of the State of Victoria in southern Australia announced this week a partnership focused on those who aspire to work in the mining sector.
In a media statement, AusIMM said that the initiative is particularly focused on helping women make an increased contribution to the industry with an emphasis on getting more women at senior levels. Among the actions that will be taken to achieve such a goal, the professional group includes the granting of scholarships for boosting the number of women on resource industry boards.
There are going to be scholarships for boosting the number of women on resource industry boards.The partnership was actually launched at AusIMM's International Women's Day Luncheon Series, which is part of another national initiative aimed at placing diversity and inclusion as a key priority.
Besides working towards creating a more gender-balanced workforce, the Institute and the Victorian Government say that their partnership is there to foster positive collaboration to investigate key levels of government, industry and academia that can cooperate to entice a new generation of students into the Victorian resources sector.
"The mining and mining equipment technology services sectors employ approximately 121,000 Victorians currently and provide a strong contribution to the economy of the State," AusIMM's CEO, Stephen Durkin, said in the press release. "We need to ensure these professionals are supported throughout their careers and that the sector's future workforce pipeline is planned, encouraged and built on with the relevant skills of the future in mind."