Indigenous employment

Local communities provide an important pool of skills and employment candidates. Where appropriate, Rio Tinto's Iron Ore group seeks to employ locally and develop capacity within local Aboriginal communities wherever it operates.

Australia

In Australia, we run programmes in partnership with Aboriginal groups to better prepare people for employment with Rio Tinto and other businesses in the region. The training team offer education programmes, pre-employment training programs, scholarship and cadetship programmes designed to support self-determination and community capacity building. These programmes increase the pool of candidates for positions and also increase the broader skill base.

Australian Aboriginal employment programmes include the following:

• Gumala Mirnuwarni: A programme based in Karratha and Roebourne, providing intensive educational support and mentoring for Aboriginal secondary school students, delivered in partnership with government education departments and Woodside, through the Polly Farmer Foundation.
• Work Experience Programme: we support secondary school students interested in careers in the resources industry with a two-week school work experience programme and school-based trainees who spend two days a week in the workplace as part of an ongoing programme. 
• Aboriginal University Scholarships: Scholarships for Aboriginal students in the Pilbara to study at the university of their choice. The scholarships cover all major expenses associated with tertiary study.
• Aborigina University Cadetships: Linked with the scholarships above, these cadetships are for Aboriginal university students, offering paid vacation employment and long-term future employment prospects.
• Business Workplace Learning Programme: This programme seeks to build capacity with community members and employee spouses to enter the resources industry. 
• Work Ready Programme: A programme in collaboration with Pilbara TAFE, CDEP (Community Development Education Projects) and Job Futures Network, operating in Roebourne and Tom Price. Participants receive training in occupational health and safety, receive various tickets and licences, learn to operate small machinery, training in writing resumes and the job application process and education regarding fitness for work.
• Aboriginal Simulator Programme: The programme offers simulator training on mobile equipment and support through corporate inductions. On successful completion of the course, participants are offered an interview for a permanent role.

Canada

In Canada, several years of planning and discussions with community leaders have led to several Innu students taking up summer jobs with the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) as part of an IOC programme to promote the hiring and integration of Innu employees.

The objective of the programme is to attract more Innu employees by adapting various employment options to meet the specific needs of Innu communities, while maintaining IOC hiring criteria.

Further information about the IOC's programme can be found in its media release.