Ian Randell, Pilbara Iron’s superintendent of Apprentice Training and one of the architects of the PPP, said the company had decided to look seriously at its apprentice recruitment process in Tom Price after consistently receiving poor quality apprentice applications.

“There was a bit of a myth that if mum or dad worked at Pilbara Iron, it would be easy for the kids to get an apprenticeship or traineeship at the company,” Ian said. “That is not the case, and many of the kids coming through haven’t been suitable to be accepted into our apprenticeship programme.”

Early in 2004, Pilbara Iron called a meeting with the high school, Pilbara TAFE and Apprenticeships WA, and together the partners set a goal to “maximize the opportunities for Pilbara youth to find the right pathway towards achieving their education and career goals without the need to relocate away from family and friends.” A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by all partners in August 2004. The MOU was modelled on the successful Gumala Mirnuwarni Indigenous education programme, which now operates in 35 locations throughout Western Australia.

PPP students undergo a rigorous process to be accepted into the programme, involving application letters, interviews, aptitude testing and alcohol and other drug tests. Once accepted, they embark on a one year programme that involves weekly attendance at TAFE (studying subjects including engineering and business), work experience placements within Pilbara Iron’s apprentice workshop, mentoring and coaching, mock interviews and a range of other career related activities. Additionally, they are expected to maintain high levels of academic performance and attendance at school.

Initiatives such as Job Pathways Week, which includes a range of workshops designed to cover all aspects of being a successful job applicant, and site orientation day at a Pilbara Iron mine, assist in making the workplace real for the students. Lesley Hardingham, principal of the 220-student Tom Price Senior High School, said the PPP structure was blindingly simple but incredibly effective.