What are the benefits of workforce training?

STACEY CLARK, Course Coordinator – Mining at the Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE (BRIT) discusses the benefits of training being conducted within the extractives industry.

THE benefits of training are numerous and cover increased productivity and compliance to a reduction in lost time injuries and decrease in absenteeism.

The benefits include:

• Minimising staff turnover and recruitment costs
• Increasing workforce flexibility, enabling it to engage in a wider range of tasks and responsibilities
• Improved staff attitude and morale, decreasing the occurrence of work related stress and improving the overall work environment
• Keep up to date of industry changes, technological advances and new industry legislation
• Increased productivity due to trained staff being more efficient at their jobs

Recent research by Chief Researcher John Rice from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), refer NCVER Insight Issue 42 June 2011, backs up these claims. He found that training maintains and renews the capability of employees while extending the ability of the organisation to adopt new knowledge and technologies from outside the organisation. Training also has the “soft” benefit of improving morale.

The research was based on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It modeled the effects of training on sales growth for small-medium Australian manufacturing firms and concluded that when the training is aligned to the organisations approach to innovation that the training clearly influences sales growth and profitability.

According to other NCVER research (Smith A, 2001, Return on Investment in Training: Research Readings, NCVER), the benefit in productivity can be as much as 230% for staff who receive formal training compared to untrained colleagues who are working in the same role.

The Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE (BRIT) is very keen to work with the extractive industry to develop courses that are required for your businesses to enable them to develop and prosper within an increasingly competitive market. Following representation from the CMPA, BRIT is developing a “Collect and prepare samples” course which will allow sampling to take place at a quarry site for testing at an authorised laboratory either on or off site.

BRIT is also developing a course on “Conduct laboratory based acceptance tests for construction materials”. In both instances BRIT has prepared draft workbooks for the courses and has sent them to various authorities including the CMPA for comment.

The CMPA in turn is continuing its discussions with VicRoads and NATA to ensure that the resulting training courses address at least their minimum training standards.

Both units would be able to be used by a person undertaking training within Certificate II, III or IV in Surface Extraction Operations, depending on the other units they have undertaken.

BRIT believes that the course could be delivered over three days, one day for collect routine site samples and two days for conduct laboratory based acceptance tests for construction materials. The cost would be approximately $350 per person assuming that a minimum of twelve people undertake the course. Provided that feedback on the draft workbooks is received quickly, BRIT could start delivering the course within the next couple of months.

If you or your staff would be interested in attending this course, or would be willing to review the workbooks, please contact either:

Stacey Clark, Course Coordinator – Mining, Bendigo TAFE,
Phone: 03 5434 1653
Email: sclark@britafe.vic.edu.au

Gavin Moreira, Administration Officer, CMPA
Phone: 1300 267 222
Email: enquiries@cmpavic.asn.au

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