Six Graduates Honoured – Indigenous Employment Pathway celebrations

Graduates Francis Dow, Troy Hegarty and Rhianna Holt from Clermont Mine, Kejanu Doyle and Jack Malone from Oaky Creek North, and Kaylynn Malone from Rolleston Mine were joined by representatives from Glencore, Diversified Building Services (DBS), PCR Polyweld, and Pathways Program ambassador and former NRL champion, Scott Prince.

Brian French, Glencore’s Queensland Approvals and Cultural Heritage Manager and driver of the Indigenous Employment Pathways Program, took guests through the typical journey a Pathways participant embarks on during the program.

The program is broken into two phases over 26 weeks. Phase 1 is 12-weeks and provides participants with back-to-work skills, mine site compliance safety training and a range of life skills like budgeting, health and wellbeing, interview training, IT skills, as well as civil equipment and traffic management. Phase 2 is 14-weeks and includes training and paid work experience that aims to get participants job-ready.

At the completion of the program, participants have fulfilled the requirements to obtain a Certificate II in Surface Extraction and graduates have the opportunity to secure employment on merit with Glencore or other site employers.

“The Pathways Program has many parts to it,” says Brian. “It provides a training and work experience program, but just as importantly, it is a way for Indigenous People to connect back to country and shape their own future.” Kejanu Doyle – a 2021 graduate of the program and now an Underground Miner at Oaky North – then took to the stage to describe his own experience of the Pathways Program.

“I want to remind you all, not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path. We have our high peaks and we had our low lows but each participant sitting here tonight was able to grab their paddle and continue through the storms. Storms of uncertainty, disappointment, sacrifice, failure, unemployment, all kinds of storms. These paths lead onto Dump truck operators, Multi Skilled Operators, working in the warehouse, Underground Operators and working with DBS in Tieri. Those were the roles that each participant envisioned themselves being in as part of their second phase of work experience and I’m sure all did well.”

“The two words that come to mind when I hear Glencore Indigenous Pathways Program are Opportunity and You. This program not only offers you an opportunity to get your food in the door, but allows you to have an incredible experience and insight into the mining industry. Multiple opportunities and involvement for jobs are within reach where this program provides ample support in guiding you to achieve your goals. I wanted to be an underground operator at the start of the program, and I understood that it was going to be challenging in getting there but I knew it was the process I had to trust and I was lucky enough to get there.”

The formal part of the ceremony was led by Pathways Program Ambassador, Scott Prince, as he presented each of the graduates with a certificate of completion and a ceremonial sash. Scott provides his take on the program, saying: “Through mining, it creates a job opportunity for our mob. They can set their sights on obtaining a job at the end of the training and paid work experience in the Pathway Program so they could become leaders in their own rights, earn money for themselves but also their family, inspire the next generation coming through and create that leadership within themselves.”

2021 marks the third year of the Indigenous Employment Pathways program, and it keeps growing from strength to strength. This year, 39 participants enrolled in the program across Tieri and Glenden, and – for the first time – in the Upper Hunter Region of NSW. Of those, 27 successfully graduated both phases of the program, with 20 now expected to move into full time employment at Glencore sites, at other mines and with other non-resource companies. Glencore is working with the other participants and labour hire contractors to find suitable employment opportunities.

“We’re delighted to see this year’s participants graduate from the training and, most importantly, secure employment. That’s precisely what this program aims to provide: real pathways to employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians with connections to our coal mining operations,” Brian reflects.

For more information on the Pathways Program, please contact Brian French, Approvals and Cultural Heritage Manager, Glencore Coal at brian.j.french@glencore.com.au.