Instrumentation training project wins Kinetic Group award

A joint venture between RMIT University and SAGE Didactic has won an innovation award from industry skills advisor Kinetic Group.

RMIT and SAGE piloted a project in the mining and power industries at Mount Isa to deliver instrumentation and control training, which produced quality training outcomes above academic requirements.

The program, which involved 30 people, took “some thinking outside the box” to make it happen, said Bruce Kendall, Senior Educator Business Development, at RMIT’s School of Engineering TAFE. “We really had to break the mould of the traditional delivery model,” Kendall said.

“We wanted a sophisticated automation training solution that would assist the mining industry to address labour market challenges including the skills shortage, an ageing workforce, different learning styles, career opportunities and increasing production demands.”

The program was praised for presenting a viable, industry-driven solution to the challenges associated with the skills shortage. The judging panel noted that the training model is transferable to any mine site where targeted technical training is needed.

CEO of Kinetic Group Derek Hunter said that in an environment where some companies were cutting training budgets it was encouraging to see his industry’s leading companies working with “forward-thinking service providers” to create a more skilled workforce.

Peter Dawson, co-founder and former CEO of SAGE Didactic, attributed the project’s success to the strength of the partnerships with Xstrata Mount Isa Mines, Kinetic Group and Stanwell, Queensland’s largest power generator.

“Without these early adopters and the other stakeholders who play an active role in reshaping skilling for the mining workforce, the project could not have commenced, thus not been the success it is proving to be,” Dawson said.

The Kinetic 2012 Training Awards are the first awards to be held by Kinetic Group since rebranding earlier this year, which saw the group change its name from the Mining Industry Skills Centre.