The Minerals Council of Australia has entered into an agreement with the National Farmers Federation and the Australian Government to pool their resources and trial different ways of coordinating existing activities and establish direct linkages to on-the-job training and subsequently, employment in agriculture and mining.

MCA chief executive Mitchell Hooke said working together, there are far greater potential for synergies in attracting, training and retaining skilled workers in the regional communities in which both industries operate.

“Our endeavour is to build critical mass in education and training institutions, interchangeable employment opportunities and recognition of skills across our industries,” Hooke said.

“We have for some time identified that we need at least 70,000 more people in the next decade. This is an increase of around 75 percent on current employment levels. The NFF estimates that there will be a need for an additional 50,000 workers.”

Three pilot sites, including Townsville in Queensland, have been identified for co-location of agriculture and minerals industry enterprises.

It is hoped the collaboration will create a highly skilled, mobile, regionally located workforce to support the growth of both industries and their surrounding communities.