It would appear, that those with the most solutions to the mining issue are also those that have never set foot on a minesite. affirmative action programs and feelgood initiatives are simply factored into the operating costs of the mine, such as workers that dont really do anything. The plain economics of it are that it would cost more to get foreign folks in to do the tasks that nobody else will do. Drug testing, by urine sample, shows pot in your system for about 3 months. Passing drug tests is worth about an extra 50k each year.
Mines are private enterprises, operating in a free market economy. In effect what the Government wants, is all the mining companies to print up an extra 30% of total shares, and give them to the Government.

Yabby, apprenticeships are currently awarded to those who have the good fortune to have a tradesman in the family or be a good footballer. I suspect that there might be a better way too.

As for doctors not wanting to go remote, the dental surgery that I use has trouble getting dentists on the Gold Coast, because it isn't Brisbane.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocational_education

Benk, if we look at countries like Germany or Switzerland, they
clearly have a solution, with a high % of youth doing an
apprenticeship, compared to our relative failure.

Perhaps our politicians could learn something from countries
where the system does work.

Far too many Australian schoolkids leave the system with no
qualifications.

You are right Yabby, the drop out rate is very high, as for the first time the kids must get results to pass. It is a pity our no exam school system does not prepare them for such a tough life.

This is where a good in-school apprenticeship scheme can be very helpful. Our only problem, as a near city country town, has not been finding employers who will take the kids, but lack of transport to get the kids to the workplaces.

The kids love it. For those not interested in higher education, a day out of school, doing real work is a dream come true, & they earn a little money.

The employers find which kids are worth having as full apprentices, after they finish school, & the drop out rate is much lower, as the kids know what they are getting into.

My wife on behalf of the P&C did most of the employer sourcing, & could find many more willing employers, than those of us trying to find transport could do.

When it comes to mining, it is not people with tickets they want, but those who are really good at what they do. A mate of mine, who was personal manager at Rum Jungle, & Bougainville told me years ago that he thought good drageline, & excavator operators were worth their weight in gold. Even more, he believed bulldozer drivers, & especially grader drivers were born, not trained.

He would track down the good ones, offer them a fortune, & bring them 10,000Km to get the right bloke. To get good enough might take 10 years working for a council, & even then, most wont make it.

When I was employing tourist boat skippers, I did not want foreign going masters, or tug boat skippers, I wanted people who could put a 120 Ft launch, or catamaran, gently along side a jetty, in a 25 knot wind, with a 3 knot cross current. Like grader drivers, you have to be born to do it, you don't ever learn it, if you don't have the feel.

*Like grader drivers, you have to be born to do it, you don't ever learn it, if you don't have the feel.*

Hasbeen, you make a valid point, aptitude is critical. We all have
aptitude for something, the key is recognising what it is
at an early age, that is the problem. Often kids are shoved into
some apprenticeship by well meaning parents because there is
a vacancy somewhere. Some years on and the kid gives up, because
they have neither the aptitude or enjoy what they do.

They way I see it, what we need for kids who don't want to go
on to university, is a trade school which gives kids a small
insight into the trades that are available. A place where they
can touch, feel, try with their hands in a practical way. Very
soon it would become clear who has an aptitude for what, who
enjoys what and has a passion for what. Enjoy your job and you
are halfway there, cos then you want to be there and you want to
learn. The same trade schools could then match up apprenticships
with the aptitude of their students, leading to much better
outcomes.

You mention bulldozers. I know a couple of dozer drivers, both
who battle to read or write, but they were both given a go at
learning to drive at a young age and took to it like a duck to
water. They never looked back and are now earning 6 figure
sums in the mining industry, highly valued for their skills,
still battling to read or write.

So IMHO recognising those natural aptitudes at an early age
is critical in sending teenagers down the correct career path
and it simply doesen't happen, so we have a massive learning
failure in our trades

A key reason why the drop out rate is so high amongst apprentices is that apprenticeships are so hard to get so any child who is offered one is under pressure to take it, regardless of whether or not they really like the job.