At the SkillsDMC Annual Conference Gala Dinner held in Brisbane in September, Horn Island quarry manager Edgar Daniels was announced as the winner of the 2014 SkillsDMC Chair Award for the “Training and Employment of Indigenous Australians in the Resources and Infrastructure Industry” category. {{image2-A:R-w:220}}
Daniels was nominated by the IQA for his work training 15 indigenous employees at the quarry and helping them to successfully graduate with a Certificate III in Surface Extraction Operations this year.
The training program was the result of a partnership between the IQA, the Australian Training Alliance, Queensland’s Department of Natural Resources and Mines and the Torres Shire Council, which owns the quarry.
After receiving the award, Daniels thanked the IQA for its nomination and said, “This award will give me more strength and drive to help more staff get updated with training and skills.”
The annual SkillsDMC Chair Awards recognise companies and individuals who strive for excellence in their workforce planning and skills development initiatives.
Commenting on this year’s awards, SkillsDMC chair Ray Barker OAM said, “It is an honour to acknowledge those taking an active role in developing people to strengthen productivity.”
SkillsDMC is the national industry skills council for the Australian resources and infrastructure industry and has played a major part in establishing the current training package for the quarrying industry. The organisation works with industry and government to define the skills competencies required by enterprises to meet current and future workforce needs, providing industry skill specifications, workforce planning and development solutions, as well as access to skills investment programs.
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