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oPInIon

Handing WA kids a tech start

he West Australian resources sector is cation levels. Universities currently offer a Hill Holdings Ltd, Woodside Ltd and Yara
Tat the forefront of a digital technology range of courses to students which cover Pilbara. The first agreed priority area for
change as the industry looks increasingly digital technologies including, but not lim- collaboration was employment, education
to automation for safety and efficiency. In ited to, mechatronics, data science, com- and training, with a key focus on develop-
doing so, the skills required of the work- puter engineering and computer science. ing pathways from education and training
force both now and into the future are also While digital technology has a presence into employment.
evolving. As an industry, we need the edu- in the tertiary sector, the digital technolo- CME explored the opportunity for the
cation and training sector to equip today’s gies learning area in schools is relatively Pilbara Collaboration signatories to collab-
children with the digital technology skills new, having only been introduced into the orate and fund the development and im-
required for the future. Australian curriculum as a new subject in plementation of a digital technologies pro-
Resources sector companies are mak- 2015 and becoming mandatory from 2017. gramme with “hands-on” resources sector
ing great advances in the use of digital The subject is expected to be taught in the applications and context, drawing on real
technologies, be it automation of dump classroom for one hour per week. world examples from across the sector.
trucks, drill rigs, autonomous inspection For primary and secondary students, The “Resources Challenges: Automa-
vehicles, sensors to monitor various infra- digital technology is the skill in which they tion” pilot programme was launched in No-
structure workings or environmental fac- use computational thinking and informa- vember 2019 and aims to increase student
tors and the associated data analysis. The tion systems to define, design and imple- awareness and interest in digital technol-
sector requires digital technology skills to ment solutions. It includes areas such as ogy career paths and support teachers to
design and manage complex operational robotics, coding, automation and data sci- successfully deliver real world digital tech-
systems in this higher technology environ- ence. nology content.
ment. The introduction of digital technologies As of the first school term this year,
In 2018, Rio Tinto Ltd launched a part- in school is perhaps the most disruptive every public (24) and catholic (2) primary
nership with the WA Government and curriculum change Australia has seen in school in the Pilbara will have their year 5
South Metropolitan TAFE to pioneer a new many years, especially in primary educa- and 6 students participating in the pilot, as
vocational education and training (VET) tion. Many teachers are unfamiliar with the well as Karratha Senior High School and
curriculum required for the advances in knowledge and skills the digital technolo- the Port Hedland School of the Air.
technology and innovation in the mining gies curriculum entails and face challeng- The pilot “Challenges” will teach Years
sector targeting Cert II and Cert III qualifi- es in understanding and interpreting the 5 and 6 the digital technologies curriculum
curriculum, understand- embedded in a resources sector context.
ing the application of Coding and automation skills will be learnt
digital technologies in the as students navigate “robots” representing
real world and developing autonomous haul trucks, drills, underwater
teaching resources. As vehicles and drones across maps repre-
a result, teachers will re- senting scenarios which are faced by the
quire substantial support WA resources sector. Industry representa-
and professional devel- tives will assist teaching the concepts and
opment in order to teach it share their career journeys through short
confidently and correctly. videos set in the challenges which are
This in turn places stu- available online.
dents at risk of not devel- Upon successful delivery of the pilot,
oping digital technology consideration will be given to expanding
capabilities required for the year 5 and 6 programme across the
future work opportunities state and offering the programme from
and failing to be inspired pre-primary to Year 10.
to choose digital technol- This initiative will add value to the WA
ogy career pathways. Government’s commitment to upskilling
Furthermore, this places teachers through professional develop-
the resources sector at ment, as well as address several recom-
risk of not being able to mendations across a number of pillars in
source an appropriately the Government’s STEM skills strategy.
skilled future workforce. The Digital Technologies Challenge pilot
In late 2017, the Pilbara is a unique example of a government and
Collaboration was devel- industry partnership to raise the STEM as-
oped as part of a coordi- pirations of students who we hope to see
nated initiative by the WA as valued employees in the WA resources
Government, CME and sector in the years to come.
its members BHP Ltd, – Paul Everingham, chief executive,
Chevron Australia, CITIC The Chamber of Minerals and Energy
Pacific Mining Pty Ltd, of Western Australia
Fortescue Metals Group
Paul Everingham Ltd, Rio Tinto Ore, Roy

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