Local Jobs Boost as Dyno Nobel Embraces Diversity

Dyno Nobel’s manufacturing site at Helidon is looking to employ more locals in the Lockyer and Darling Downs regions, to meet the demand from Australian miners for its premium explosives technology.

A business of Incitec Pivot Limited, Dyno Nobel’s Helidon site in southeast Queensland is again expanding to increase electronic detonator production.

Employee numbers have grown since an expansion in 2019, and with demand continuing, the Helidon team want to strengthen its diverse and inclusive workforce. 

As a complement to its traditional recruitment strategies, Helidon is embracing new employee attraction channels that target local talent from diverse backgrounds who may not have previously been reached.

Most recently, the Helidon Team partnered with Indigenous Workstars, a career pathways provider that connects Indigenous skilled workers or trainees to jobs. In December, six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees joined Dyno Nobel, becoming the first recruits to join Helidon’s Manufacturing team via Indigenous Workstars.

Helidon Site Manager Paddy Wiggall said: “Strengthening inclusion is our aim at Helidon. By employing people from diverse backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, all of our employees can benefit from the opportunity to gain new perspectives and understandings.

“It is important that we not only offer positions to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples in our communities, but that we provide a workplace where these recruits can pursue their career goals, build their confidence and have succession opportunities within the business.”

The Helidon team has also focused on improving gender diversity which has led to women making up more than half of its workforce - 54%. Mr Wiggall said Dyno Nobel was committed to the region and employing locally as much as possible. 

“At Helidon, we produce products that are vital to Australia’s resources sector. We’re committed to continuing to support the Australian manufacturing sector and the great region in which we operate.”