The delegates are on a study tour that is part of a bilateral agreement signed between the Australian and Mongolian governments to provide vocational expertise to Mongolia’s developing skills sector.
WA Minister for Training and Workforce Development Peter Collier said the state’s training providers were recognised at a very high standard throughout the world and could be used as a template for developing nations to structure their own vocational training platforms.
“With WA’s experience in mining and resources, we are uniquely positioned to offer the world’s best skills training advice and assistance to Mongolia’s training centres,” Collier said.
“Mongolia’s skills sector is currently experiencing peak demand with the development of the Oyu Tolgoi mine, with more than 14,000 local Mongolians involved in the construction phase.”
Once construction is complete, the Oyu Tolgoi project is expected to account for 30% of Mongolia’s gross domestic product.
Collier said it was forecast to be one of the world’s largest producers of copper and gold.
“On that basis alone, the Oyu Tolgoi mine presents great opportunities for WA’s vocational training sector to provide accredited skills expertise to our Mongolian counterparts,” he said.
Under the agreement, WA would advise Mongolia how the government, mining industry and vocational training providers could work collaboratively to ensure workers were highly skilled and motivated to meet international standards.
Mongolia has fast become an attractive option for foreign investment over the past few years after the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold deposit and Tavan Tolgoi coal project both revealed strong development opportunities.
Mining began at Oyu Tolgoi in late April as pre-stripping progressed ahead of schedule and initial production is expected later this year with commercial production to kick off early next year.
Oyu Tolgoi is set to produce 1.2 billion pounds of copper and 650,000 ounces of gold in the first ten years along with 3-5 million ounces of silver and molybdenum credits.
