Applications open for Glencore Coal’s First Nations Pathways Program
Media statement
Singleton, Australia
Glencore Coal is pleased to announce that applications are open for the 2025 First Nations Pathways Program (FNPP).
Commencing in May, the FNPP is a 26-week education and training program designed to enable First Nation Australians with connections to the land near Glencore Coal operations to develop their job–readiness skills.
“Across our business in Australia, we seek constructive relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, based on respect, meaningful engagement, trust and mutual benefit,” said Ian Cribb, Glencore Coal Chief Executive Officer.
“Our First Nations Pathway Program aims to support Indigenous people in gaining experience and expanding their knowledge with new challenges towards opportunities in the mining industry.
“The program is now in its seventh year and continues to demonstrate enduring benefits as measured by the numbers of graduates who have secured and maintained permanent employment.”
Twelve participants graduated from the 2024 New South Wales program, marking the most successful year in its history, while eight participants graduated from the Queensland program. Seventeen of those 20 graduates had already secured employment by graduation.
Carrie Bendeich, Glencore Coal’s Indigenous Programs Coordinator, said the program supports and inspires Indigenous Australians to become job-ready and pursue their career goals.
“Through the program, participants develop crucial skills and obtain necessary mining qualifications to enter the industry. These skills not only prepare them for immediate employment but also equip them for long-term career success.”
Successful applicants will participate in the 26-week training and work experience program, which is delivered in two phases across Glencore Coal operations in the New South Wales Upper Hunter Valley, and Queensland Bowen Basin.
At the completion of the program, participants will have fulfilled the requirements to obtain a Certificate II in Surface Extraction, as well as gain important employment ready skills.
Applications are open now and will close on Friday 28 February 2025.
Further information about the program and the application process can be found at our First Nations Pathways Program page.
For further information, please contact:
Elise Pfeiffer
m: +61 408 095 530
e: Elise Pfeiffer
Jessica Smith
m: +61 497 504 420
e: Jessica Smith
Notes for editors
About Glencore Australia
In Australia, Glencore produces coal, zinc, nickel, cobalt, copper, lead and silver from 22 active mining operations. We also operate metals processing assets in Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, including concentrators, smelters and refineries.
We are among Australia’s largest producers and marketers of natural resources, connecting Australian resources with industrial customers around the world. Through our diverse portfolio, we responsibly supply the resources that advance everyday life.
We employ 17,460 people in Australia and in 2023 contributed almost $23.5 billion to the regional, state and national economies. This included spend of $12.9 billion with 7,000 businesses across the country, as well as $8.2 billion in government tax and royalty payments.
We are committed to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace for our people, to respecting the environment, to engaging openly and constructively with the Traditional Owners on whose lands we operate and to bringing value to local communities.
We will support the global effort to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement through our efforts to decarbonise our own operational footprint. We believe that we should take a holistic approach and have considered our commitment through the lens of our global industrial emissions. Against a restated 2019 baseline, we are targeting to reduce our Scope 1, 2 and 3 industrial emissions by 15% by the end of 2026, 25% by the end of 2030, 50% by the end of 2035 and we have an ambition to achieve net zero industrial emissions by the end of 2050, subject to a supportive policy environment.
Learn more about Glencore Australia.