Indigenous employee maintaining 3 point contact on locomotive, Weipa Operations

Indigenous opportunities

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We are taking important steps to grow our Indigenous leadership, helping us better understand and work with host communities in the future. By having strong Indigenous leaders in place, we can ensure Indigenous voices are heard on cultural heritage matters and broader issues — right across our business.

In Australia, we have committed $50 million over 5 years to attract, retain and grow Indigenous leaders, and we have increased the number of Australian Indigenous leaders in our business fivefold since November 2020. We have also identified further candidates for future opportunities through a targeted Indigenous talent management and selection program.

We are committed to increasing cultural knowledge, advancing Indigenous leadership and participation in our workforce, and working together with Indigenous communities and partners to create a better future."

Kellie Parker, Chief Executive Australia

Our leaders talk about our commitment to Indigenous leadership in our Australian business

Professional development programs in Australia

  • Indigenous leader development program

    This program supports our Indigenous employees to accelerate the transition to higher roles within our business and bridge any development gaps.

    It is available for people either leading teams or pursuing a more technical discipline and is tailored to suit each person’s specific career aspirations. The program can include access to one of our university partnerships to fast-track tailored learning to help employees secure qualifications for their next role, or placement in another role or operation to develop core business and leadership skills.

  • RioInspire

    We’re proud to have partnered with the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) to deliver the RioInspire program which is a first of its kind, blending Indigenous knowledge and practices with best-practice leadership research. It's a globally recognised framework that focuses on developing executive-ready Indigenous future leaders who will have an influential role in shaping the future not only our business and Indigenous Australia, but all Australia.

    This partnership has enabled us to develop a program specifically for Rio Tinto Indigenous leaders. It incorporates Rio Tinto’s ways of working, including our values and business priorities. Upon completion, participants receive an AGSM Certificate of Executive Management Development.

  • Two-way mentoring program

    One of the key findings of the recent Board review into cultural heritage management highlighted our need to transform our work culture to better reflect our values.

    Our two-way mentoring program presents an important opportunity for our senior leaders in Australia to offer career advice to our Indigenous talent, while gaining a better understanding of some of the challenges faced by our Indigenous employees. The program is helping build a culture of understanding across our organisation and foster connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees.

    In 2021, 76 Indigenous employees paired with senior leaders participated in our two-way mentoring program across our Australia-based business to deepen cross-cultural understanding and responsiveness.

  • Networking program
  • Leadership success
More than 30 Indigenous leaders have participated in RioInspire since the program launched in 2021

Supporting students to achieve their potential

For more than a decade we have partnered with Indspire, an Indigenous national charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. Indspire provides financial awards, delivers programs and shares resources so that Indigenous students achieve their highest potential.

In 2021, we renewed our partnership with the Breakfast Club of Canada with C$750,000 over 3 years to provide nutritious meals to over 4,000 students in 18 Indigenous schools in British Columbia and Quebec.

We also established an institutional research structure dedicated to the indigenisation of higher education through a C$1.5 million partnership with Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi. The structure will be established in collaboration with several Indigenous communities and will focus, among other things, on training the next generation of Indigenous scientists.
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Graduate and vacation student programs

We're committed to Indigenous peoples having a stronger voice across our business, around the world. Graduates are our future leaders, so we're excited to welcome Indigenous graduates who can help shape who we are, now and in the future.

Stories from Indigenous employees

Fiona

Fiona

Fiona is a proud Yolngu woman from Nhulunbuy, North-East Arnhem Land, Australia. Fiona has been recognised for her excellence in leadership, recently receiving the "Judges Award" at the Women in Resources Excellence Awards.

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Fiona began working for Rio Tinto in 2018, completing a fast-tracked 2-year Surface Extraction traineeship in just one year. She then progressed to become a Heavy Mining Equipment Operator, which she did for 3 years.

In 2021, Fiona joined the Dhuka Mala crew, an all-Indigenous work group program that provides a focus on education, training and employment of North-East Arnhem Land clan members. The program incorporates work-readiness with on-the-job training to develop pathways to employment.

"Gove is a special place for people to come and find out about our culture, learn who we are and how we connect to land and sea,

"I'd heard about the program and I wanted to join it to be able to do some training. I wasn’t sure then what training I wanted to do but I knew Rio Tinto would be able to give me opportunities. Once I completed my traineeship I moved on to do a full time role with Rio Tinto as an Operator working the 12 hours shifts.

"I really enjoy working with the Dhuka Mala team - I get to meet people and work with my own Yolngu people to help them achieve what they want for their pathway.

"They're trying to train us properly to work down on the mine site and also at the RDA (Residue Disposal Area) because there'll be the long-term monitoring work, including rehabilitation and revegetation of areas.

"It's good because you get to meet people, learn new skills and you can keep trying new jobs and tasks. The training is never ending for everybody. We all train and learn different skills and share that knowledge and respect each other."

Related downloads

Indigenous Leadership Program - Graduate Info Sheet
PDF
1.08 MB
2026 Indigenous Scholarship Program
PDF
7.28 MB
2024 Indigenous Cadetship Program
PDF
4.06 MB
Indigenous Employee Newsletter
PDF
734 KB

Find your next opportunity with Rio Tinto

Our future success begins with choosing the right people to help us find better ways to produce materials the world needs. Browse our job listings and join our talent network to take the first step to joining us.