The importance of upskilling
Roles in mining are always changing – locations, environments, machinery, technology and automation – so making sure your skills adapt to these changes is critical for your career growth.
A recent survey of over 2,000 people uncovered that 77% of employers are more likely to shortlist a candidate who has regularly upskilled.
Upskilling could be as simple as reading relevant publications, watching videos, ted talks. But extra TAFE courses or short courses will really make you stand out.
Maximize your opportunities
Upskilling gives you a better chance of having the desirable skills that an employer will look for when recruiting. Having a limited skill set will limit your opportunities.
Having the skills for more opportunities will give you a better chance of getting the job you want. This will increase your overall morale.
Makes you more attractive to employers
As mentioned before, being open to upskilling makes your more employable. If an employer is going to invest in you they want to make sure that you’re willing to grow with the company. Showing you have a will to do this gives you brownie points against someone that doesn’t.
Reduce the chances of redundancy
It’s easy to forget how vulnerable the mining sector can be when we are going through a boom, but it’s always a possibility.
Having more skills make you less likely to be made redundant when the sector goes down or at least gives you a better chance.
Upskill in the right way to add more job security
Make sure you research what you’re upskilling in. There’s no point in upskilling in something that is becoming less useful.
Right now, for miner’s, technology and automation is a hot topic. Whether you’re for it or against it, it’s happening. More and more automation vehicles and equipment are becoming the norm at mining sites, so the quicker you jump on the bandwagon the better.
Upskill in something completely random or away from your every day
This is a bit out there, but if you have another passion, found a trend that will become employable in the future, then go for it.
When the downturn happens and your skill is less needed, having a qualification completely away from that role could help you survive the downturn.
It’s never too late to take this approach.