By Marion Print
Acting Premier and Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery visited Welldrill in Cockburn to showcase the newly deployed Driller’s Offsider Job Ready Program to local media outlets.
The pilot Driller’s Offsider Job Ready Program, which is the first program of its kind in Australia, is among a suite of new skill sets developed in collaboration with WA industries to deliver short and sharp training for job seekers and young people, enabling them to upskill or reskill in industries with a need for skilled workers.
On completion of the course, students are connected with opportunities to transition into employment, undertake a traineeship with a participating employer or further their training to gain a drilling operations qualification.
The program was developed by the Resources Industry Training Council in collaboration with the Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA) and the Department of Training and Workforce Development, in an effort to address high demand for driller offsider positions in the drilling industry.
Participants are provided with skills to work safely on site, apply first aid and CPR, work safely at heights and operate and maintain a four-wheel drive vehicle.
Thirteen Western Australians have commenced the Driller’s Offsider Job Ready Program since it began in April this year.
Minister Sue Ellery said one of the issues that came out of the skill summit last year was the need to have people job ready to go into a range of jobs across the state, but in particular, into drilling.
“It is a very specific job, it requires very specific skills and the industry has been working really closely with training to develop this course to get people job ready to go and work in the drilling industry,” she said.
“It’s a short course and it’s a free course for those who are jobseekers or who meet eligibility requirements.
“We’ve worked really hard with the industry to develop a course that was specific to their needs. At the end of this job ready course they are able to go into a traineeship working in the drilling industry.
“The drilling industry is critical to our resource and mining industry and making sure we’ve got people with the skills to do that is really important.”
General manager of Welldrill and ADIA Vice President Tim Westcott said the Australian Drilling Industry Association fully supports the program.
“From the moment you got up this morning, to the moment you go to bed tonight drilling was involved as part of your day,” he said.
“So, whether that’s your iPhone with the minerals in there that you need to use it, the shower you had this morning, 30 per cent of all your water in Perth comes from ground water which is drill hole.
“Drilling is an important factor in WA.
“I would also like to thank Andy Separovic from the Department Training Workforce Development and CME and Amanda Hamilton from Resources Industry Training Council she’s been the backbone of this whole program.”
ADIA CEO Peter Hall said that drilling is competing with several other hands-on type industries for entry level workers and support such as this helps us get our fair share.
“Young people starting in these much-needed roles now can go on to become the drillers and supervisors of the future because drilling follows an established career pathway.”
Following the success of its first two rounds, the program is preparing for its third intake of participants, with applications now open for commencement in August 2022.
The training is free for all job seekers, young people, and concession-eligible students, and low-fee for non-concession students.
You can register your interest in the Driller’s Offsider Job Ready program on the Jobs and Skills WA website http://www.jobsandskills.wa.gov.au/pathways or contact the Job Ready team on (08) 6551 5049 or DrillersOffsider@dtwd.wa.gov.au.
In the meantime, check out the ADIA website on what the day in the life of a driller actually looks like and what’s involved in the job featuring some handy Q&As.
