Chair In Automation and Future Work Skills
The Chair in Automation and Future Work Skills role was established to focus on the impact of automation on regional cities and communities. The role is funded by CQUniversity and BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) to coordinate research, outreach and engagement with relevant industries across Queensland, as well as to drive the development of new innovative training qualifications and courses in automation and new workplace skills beyond the mining sector, including in METS, Agriculture, SMEs and Construction.
The purpose of the partnership between BMA and CQUniversity is to bring people and resources together to unlock and accelerate skills, training and educational outcomes for the future in the communities of which they are part.
Pictured: Rob Brown, Associate Vice-President (North Queensland), BMA Chair – Automation & Future Work Skills, Director - Regional University Centres
Current Projects
Identify and map training delivery available for regional communities to fully participate in future work opportunities, as per key recommendation #3 (and #7) of the GW3 Future Employment Study.
Offer micro-credentials (see QFSP) to support digital foundations for the existing workforce, as per key recommendation #2 (a) and (b) of the GW3 Future Employment Study.
Together with stakeholders prepare submission for the Australian Coal Industry’s Research Program (ACARP) Project.
Working with Resources Centre of Excellence on a case study, titled ‘Regional collaboration, the key to community empowerment and workforce transitioning towards I4.0’.
Available Resources
- Industry 4.0 Skills and Education Framework October 2021
- The Industry 4.0 Series: The Fourth Industrial Revolution – ‘event horizon’ or ‘horizon of opportunity’ March 2022
- The Industry 4.0 Series: Job transformation, skills, and education for I4.0 and beyond - University 4.0 or Indusversity June 2022
- The Industry 4.0 Series: ESG – The DNA of business success in the 21st century September 2022
- The Industry 4.0 Series: Coping essential to thriving in the 4IR November 2022
- The Collaboration, a key to regional transformation. Establishing a formal partnership to support regional communities and develop current and future workforces., May 2022
- Embracing Industrial Revolutions – a multi-faceted continuum of change and transformation fuelling ongoing adaptation, August 2021 (academic paper)
CQU | BMA Digital Innovation Skills Hive
The DISH is a place to showcase and promote initiatives that support the collective efforts of industry players and education providers to address the challenges of existing and emerging digital technologies and their impacts on the current and future world of work, workforces, and communities.
Made possible, in part, by the Kevin Greenwood bequest, it is a place where...
- collaboration between industries and education providers is encouraged and promoted
- cross-pollination of ideas is facilitated
- innovative, future-focused solutions for the challenges of an unfolding Industry 4.0 is generated
- new knowledge in relation to community and workforce transitioning is created
- the projects of the CIA and its partners are showcased and promoted.
Build your Future
Building a successful and resilient workforce for the future will play a vital part in Australia’s economic recovery. As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic we need to resolve skill shortages in regional areas. Skills development opportunities are here to prepare you to become the regional workforce of the future.
The Queensland Future Skills (QFS) Partnership is led by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) and includes TAFE Queensland and CQUniversity as education partners. The partnership has been working with industry experts, community organisations and government since late 2019 to fast-track responsive co-design and delivery of training to support the implementation of autonomous technology in mining. We are seeking expressions of interest to participate in training, at no cost to participants.
Connect with us
The Chair in Automation and Future Work Skills value its connections locally, in the region and abroad. Our partnerships help us create opportunities and deliver solutions that enhance the automation and technology capabilities of the resource sectors, METS industries and regional communities and aims to build and strengthen an ecosystem of research centres, universities, government, industry players and skills bodies. Connect with us to collaborate or find out more.
Major Sponsor and Partner
The Chair of Automation and Future Work Skills has been made possible thanks to a generous funding package from BMA.

Other Partners



