News & Opinions

Yesterday P&C attended a luncheon that featured presentations by two junior resource companies and a talk by Joel Crane, commodities analyst at wealth management firm Morgan Stanley Smith Barney.

Crane discussed trends and forecasts into what 2012 might bring to the commodities industry. Among his top picks were commodities that China is 'structurally short' in, including iron ore, copper and gold. Crane also recommended exposure to coal and uranium, of which China is a marginal importer.

Commodities in which China is 'structurally long' included aluminium and alumina, which the country is self-sufficient in, as well as zinc, lead, nickel and rare earths.

A prevalent theme was that China is particularly short on energy sources, making uranium an interesting focus for 2012.

Uranium explorer Aura Energy will be hosting an investor roadshow next week in Melbourne and Sydney, giving interested parties the opportunity to find out more about the scoping study that was recently completed on the massive Häggån project in Sweden and its impact on the company.

Whitelion, a not-for-profit organisation, will run an employment training session titled ‘Supporting youth at risk in the workplace’ in Geelong, Victoria on Thursday 8 March, 2012 at Narana Creations from 10.00am. The session will raise awareness of Whitelion’s activities in creating sustainable employment opportunities for young Indigenous people in the Geelong region.

‘Supporting youth at risk in the workplace’ will run for two hours and target 20 key local businesses that are interested in hearing more about Whitelion’s Employment Program.

The Whitelion Employment Program provides culturally appropriate support to Indigenous young people who have been involved with or are at risk of being involved with the youth justice system by bringing them closer to their communities, culture and traditions.

The training session will feature an overview of youth at risk in Australia and the challenges faced by these young people on a daily basis. The session will also review the tools available for engaging young people such as employment, as well as overcoming issues in the workplace and confidentiality.

Indigenous youth eligible for the Whitelion Employment Program are guided through vocational assessment and a pre-employment program by Whitelion that includes training for any specific skills required for employment that they might lack.

The young person is then matched with a new or existing employer through Whitelion, with both the young person and the employer supported on an ongoing basis.

For those interested in attending the training session, please RSVP to Heather Pittman, Employment Coordinator at Whitelion on (03) 9389 4420 by Friday 2 March, 2012.

Narana Creations is located at 410 Torquay Road, Geelong.