Resources and Infrastructure Cross Sector

Overview

This page provides information and data on qualifications that apply to multiple sectors within the Mining, Drilling and Civil Infrastructure industry.

Nationally recognised training for occupations in the Mining, Drilling and Civil Infrastructure industry is delivered under the RII – Resources and Infrastructure Industry Training Package.

For information specific to Drilling, Coal Mining, Extractive Industries, Metalliferous Mining and Civil Infrastructure sectors, please visit the respective pages.

Information sourced from the Mining, Drilling and Civil Infrastructure IRC's 2019 Skills Forecast.

All data sources are available at the end of the page.

IRC and Skills Forecasts

Mining, Drilling and Civil Infrastructure IRC’s

Employment trends

Employment snapshot

The mining boom from 2007 to 2013 saw the employment level in the Mining industry (not further defined) rise significantly, peaking at 50,300 in 2013. However, the post boom years saw the employment level decline radically to just1,600 by 2018. The employment level in the Mining industry (not further defined) is projected to increase over the next five years until 2023.

Drillers, Miners and Shot Firers and Metal Fitters and Machinists each comprise 10% of the Mining industry (not further defined) workforce , with the employment level in these occupations expected to grow by 2.5% and 2.1% respectively until 2023. Employment in the Structural Steel and Welding Trades, which makes up 6% of the Mining Industry (nfd) workforce, is projected to increase by 4,8% in the same period.

Training provider type
Funding source

Student location
Training delivery location

Commencements and completions
Qualification level and occupation
State and territory

Training snapshot

There were approximately 7,810 enrolments in Resources and Infrastructure cross sector qualifications during 2018, and 1,830 completions. Both enrolments and completions decreased between 2015 and 2018.

During 2018, a large proportion of enrolments were at the certificate II and III levels. Over half of the training was in resource and infrastructure operations and work preparation, for which the main intended occupation was Other Construction and Mining Labourers.

For enrolments during 2018, 80% of qualifications were delivered by private training providers, with TAFE institutes making up the majority of the remaining portion (14%). Funding for the subjects was split between government (49%) and domestic fee-for-service (51%) although this varied by provider. For example, 80% of subjects delivered by TAFE institutes were government-funded, dropping to 40% for private training providers. The majority of students who enrolled during 2018 were from Queensland (47%) or Western Australia (22%).

Close to half of all training was delivered in Queensland (49%), followed by Western Australia (24%) and New South Wales (15%).

Apprenticeship commencements and completions in Resources and Infrastructure cross sector qualifications peaked in 2012 and 2013 respectively, then declined steadily over the next few years until 2016. However, 2018 saw an upturn in apprenticeship commencement numbers to around 290. Completions, on the other hand, have not increased. As at December 2018, about 74% of apprenticeship training was reported from Western Australia. A large portion of apprentices were training towards the intended occupations of Engineering Production Worker, or Earthmoving Plant Operator (General).

For more data specific to your occupation, industry or training package, visit NCVER’s VET Students by Industry. If you are prompted to log in, select cancel and you will continue to be directed to the program.

For more data specific to your region, visit NCVER’s Atlas of total VET.

If you are interested in extracting NCVER data to construct tables with data relevant to you, sign up for a VOCSTATS account.

Industry insights

The Mining, Drilling and Civil Infrastructure IRC's 2019 Skills Forecast identifies several key issues affecting skills and training needs across Mining Resources and Infrastructure sectors including:

Industry has indicated the need for the creation of job role streams for dry, wet and chemical processing in Resource Processing-related qualifications. These areas require different skills and knowledge, and the creation of job role streams would allow learners to deepen their expertise and be more prepared for the workplace.
Industry also supports updating the Certificate IV in Resource Processing to align to the role of a Resource Processing Supervisor and incorporate more business and nontechnical skills, with the aim to create industry standards for supervisors, improve learning outcomes and decrease adverse worksite incidents.
Safety standards and the risk of untrained individuals drilling through underground pipes requires the Trenchless Technology training products to be updated to reflect new technology used, and a skill set created for underground location services to improve consistency in operator skills and knowledge. This will also enable greater recognition for specialist skills in the job market.
More flexibility is needed in the Mining Exploration-related qualifications for learners to follow either a mine technician or field technician career path.
Blasting is a highly technical operational procedure, however current workers within the industry are lacking technical knowledge relating to explosives, workers are completing their qualifications with too little practical knowledge of what their role entails, there is currently a skill gap in the field of electronic blasting and there is a lack of knowledge relating to environmental concerns of controlling blast emissions and dust production as well as the mineral recovery benefits of electronic blasting.

Links and resources

Industry associations and advisory bodies

For industry associations and advisory bodies specific to Drilling, Coal Mining, Extractive Industries, Metalliferous Mining and Civil Infrastructure sectors, please visit the respective pages.

State Training Advisory Bodies

Construction Industry Training Board (SA)

Energy Skills Queensland (ESQ)

Industry Skills Advisory Council Northern Territory (ISAC NT)

Resources Industry Training Council (RITCWA)

Resources and Infrastructure NSW Industry Training Advisory Body

Employee associations

Australian Manufacturers Workers Union (AMWU)

Australian Workers' Union (AWU)

Construction Forestry Mining & Energy Union (CFMEU)

Relevant research

Resources and Infrastructure: Industry Workforce Analysis and Forecast – Skills DMC

Data sources and notes

Department of Employment, 2018, Employment Projections, available from the Labour Market Information Portal website

by ANZSIC 2 digit industry employment projections to May 2023
- B0 Mining nfd.
by ANZSCO, selected 4 digit occupations, employment projections to May 2023
- 7122 Drillers Miners and Shot Firers
- 3232 Metal Fitters and Machinists
- 3223 Structural Steel and Welding Trades Workers
- 8219 Other Construction and Mining Labourers
- 3129 Other Building and Engineering Technicians.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2018, Employed persons by Industry group of main job (ANZSIC), Sex, State and Territory, November 1984 onwards, 6291.0.55.003 – EQ06, viewed 1 November 2018 http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6291.0.55.003May%202018?OpenDocument.

Employed total, 2000 to 2018, May quarter, by ANZSIC 2 digit industry:
- B0 Mining nfd.

Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017, 2016 Census – employment, income and unpaid work, TableBuilder. Findings based on use of ABS TableBuilder data.

Employment level by:
- B0 Mining nfd
- 4 digit level occupations to identify the relevant VET-related occupations in the industry as a proportion of the total workforce.

Training data has been extracted from the National VET Provider Collection, Total VET Students and Courses from the following training package or qualifications:

RII Resources and Infrastructure Industry and MNM Metalliferous Mining Training Packages

Certificate I & II in Resource and Infrastructure Operations /Work Preparation
- RII10106 - Certificate I in Resource and Infrastructure Operations
- RII10109 - Certificate I in Resources and Infrastructure Operations
- RII10113 - Certificate I in Resources and Infrastructure Operations
- RII10115 - Certificate I in Resources and Infrastructure Operations
- RII20109 - Certificate II in Resources and Infrastructure Work Preparation
- RII20113 - Certificate II in Resources and Infrastructure Work Preparation
- RII20115 - Certificate II in Resources and Infrastructure Work Preparation
Certificate II, III & IV in Resource Processing
- RII20509 - Certificate II in Resource Processing
- RII20513 - Certificate II in Resource Processing
- RII20515 - Certificate II in Resource Processing
- RII30409 - Certificate III in Resource Processing
- RII30411 - Certificate III in Resource Processing
- RII30413 - Certificate III in Resource Processing
- RII30415 - Certificate III in Resource Processing
- RII40509 - Certificate IV in Resource Processing
- RII40513 - Certificate IV in Resource Processing
- RII40515 - Certificate IV in Resource Processing
Certificate III in Mine Emergency Response and Rescue
- RII30709 - Certificate III in Mine Emergency Response and Rescue
- RII30713 - Certificate III in Mine Emergency Response and Rescue
- RII30715 - Certificate III in Mine Emergency Response and Rescue
Other Cross Sector Qualifications
- MNM30405 – Certificate III in Mining Exploration
- MNM30406 – Certificate III in Mining Exploration
- RII20609 – Certificate II in Mining Field/Exploration Operations
- RII20613 – Certificate II in Mining / Field Exploration
- RII21315 – Certificate II in Cross Industry Operations
- RII30509 – Certificate III in Mining Exploration
- RII30511 – Certificate III in Mining Exploration
- RII30513 – Certificate III in Mining Exploration
- RII30515 – Certificate III in Mining Exploration
- RII30611 – Certificate III in Small Mining Operations
- RII30615 – Certificate III in Small Mining Operations
- RII31609 – Certificate III in Trenchless Technology
- RII31613 – Certificate III in Trenchless Technology
- RII31615 – Certificate III in Trenchless Technology
- RII50109 – Diploma of Surface Operations Management
- RII50113 – Diploma of Surface Operations Management
- RII50115 – Diploma of Surface Operations Management
- RII50309 – Diploma of Minerals Processing
- RII50313 – Diploma of Minerals Processing
- RII50315 – Diploma of Minerals Processing
- RII60209 – Advanced Diploma of Extractive Industries Management
- RII60213 – Advanced Diploma of Extractive Industries Management
- RII60215 – Advanced Diploma of Extractive Industries Management.

Superseded qualifications and training packages are grouped with current training products.

Data covers a range of selected student and training characteristics in the following categories and years:

2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 program enrolments
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 subject enrolments
2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 program completions.

Total VET students and courses data is reported for the calendar year. Program enrolments are the qualifications, courses and skill-sets in which students are enrolled in a given period. For students enrolled in multiple programs, all programs are counted. Program completion indicates that a student has completed a structured and integrated program of education or training. Location data uses student residence. Subject enrolment is registration of a student at a training delivery location for the purpose of undertaking a module, unit of competency or subject. For more information on the terms and definitions please refer to the Total VET students and courses: terms and definitions document.

Low counts (less than 5) are not reported to protect client confidentiality.

RII Resources and Infrastructure Industry and MNM Metalliferous Mining Training Packages apprentice and trainee data has been extracted from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection, including:

2010 to 2018 commencements
2010 to 2018 completions
2018 apprentices and trainees in-training October to December 2018 collection, by qualification and state and territory of data submitter.

Updated: 03 Feb 2020