New industry partnership designed to benefit Gladstone community

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CQUniversity has signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rio Tinto Gladstone aluminium sites – Yarwun refinery, Boyne Smelters and Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) – that will see the organisations collaborate closer than ever before on initiatives to support the region’s industrial development and career opportunities for local students. 

Under the agreement, they will partner to identify opportunities and deliver activities that will contribute to community engagement, joint education and training initiatives, workforce and skills development, and sustainability.  They will also work together to build research and development collaborations in focus areas such as manufacturing, process automation, supply chains, social impact and renewable energy. 

Representatives from CQUniversity and Rio Tinto Gladstone aluminium will form focus groups to drive activities and outcomes in each of these key areas. Rod Ainsworth, CQUniversity’s Associate Vice-President for the Gladstone Region explained that the MoU was another way in which the University can support industry in the region. 

“Together, we are building stronger connections that support innovation and opportunity in Gladstone. This will provide mutual benefits to all of the partners involved, while also delivering longer term benefit to the local community, who will benefit from stronger skills pathways and more tailored education programs, to support current and future workforce need,” said Mr Ainsworth.

Shane Wembridge, General Manager from Yarwun refinery representing Rio Tinto Gladstone aluminium, said that partnering with CQUniversity helps to build capability, innovation and practical pathways that support the future of Central Queensland’s workforce. 

“By working together, we can achieve more for our communities and stakeholders,” Shane said.

“Collaborating with CQUniversity reinforces our commitment to supporting industry capability and future growth in Gladstone. It also fosters innovation and practical problem-solving that can support safer, more reliable and more efficient operations, creating benefits that extend to the broader regional economy.”

CQUniversity has a long history in partnering with all of the organisations involved, on regional programs including apprenticeships, training and research.  This includes a current partnership between CQUniversity and QAL to deliver four new engineering cadetships to engineering students at CQUniversity, over a five-year period. Operating since 2024, the cadetship program aims to attract and retain aspiring engineers to stay in the region to work and study, and in turn help to overcome future engineering workforce shortages.

Note: This article has been issued by CQUniversity and has been published by AL Circle with its original information without any modifications or edits to the core subject/data.