Laing O'Rourke and MIGAS Talk Closing the Gap with Canadian Guests

MIGAS Apprentices & Trainees and Workforce Development Partner Laing O’Rourke recently had the pleasure of entertaining Canadian guests Gary McDermott and Jeannie Cranmer from British Columbia in our Brisbane Head Office.

Gary and Jeannie were in Australia as part of their partnership with Laing O’Rourke working on a large LNG project in British Columbia. As Aboriginal Canadians, Gary and Jeannie discussed the challenges Canada face in upskilling the Aboriginal people, something Australia can relate to. Closing the Gap is an initiative MIGAS is proud to work on, embedding indigenous apprentices in workforce programs in order to create and ensure their future careers.

They sought advice from MIGAS about our experiences with our Indigenous programs, the collaborations we have made to enable the development of a successful structure for the engagement, training and employment of the Aboriginal people.

QLD State Manager Melissa Gleeson spoke of our work with BHP Billiton in the assessment centres, with particular focus on indigenous and women apprentices. Major Client Coordinator Linda Lay also described the success of pre-apprenticeship programs.

Gary is from the Industry Training Authority and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Jeannie is of the Kwakwaka’wakw people from the Namgis First Nation in British Columbia, and is Manager of the Aboriginal Education & Employment Strategy Hydro and Power Authority in Vancouver. They explained the history of the 200 Aboriginal nations of British Columbia including the First Nations, Metis and the off-reserve Aboriginal population.

MIGAS would like to thank Gary and Jeannie, as well as Laing O’Rourke for the opportunity to exchange ideas in a mutually beneficial setting.

Pictured from L-R: Tony Sawiris (National Learning & Development Manager, Laing O’Rourke), Melissa Gleeson (QLD/WA State Manager, MIGAS), Mark Corgat (Chief Financial Officer, MIGAS), Gary McDermott (Director, Aboriginal Initiatives, Industry Training Authority), Jeannie Cranmer (Manager of the Aboriginal Education & Employment Strategy Hydro and Power Authority), Raelene Gunner (Training & Compliance Manager, Laing O’Rourke), Linda Lay (Major Client Coordinator, MIGAS), Philip Marwedel (Group Chief Executive Officer, MIGAS)

Contact your MIGAS local branch for more information on our Workforce Diversity initiatives >