The Public Transport Authority (PTA) in Western Australia faced a familiar challenge: how do you retain skilled people when competing against Mining organisations offering salaries you simply can’t match? The team joked that they didn’t want to remain the “Pilbara Training Academy” — developing great people only to lose them to higher-paying employers. Rather than compete on salary, they decided to compete on culture.

They also challenged their traditional approach to recruitment. The experienced, perfectly qualified track inspectors they were searching for were effectively “unicorns” — candidates who rarely existed or, when they did, could command salaries the PTA couldn’t offer.

Instead, the team built capability from within: recruiting for potential and transferable skills, providing structured training and qualifications, creating different career pathways, offering flexible working arrangements and, importantly, treating people as individuals.

This session explores a simple lesson: when you can’t win the salary war, culture, development and opportunity can become your competitive advantage.

How we have retained people during Metronet and with higher salaries up North in the mining industry.

• Opportunities we have provided people (acting, training, courses etc.)

• Hiring for potential, cultural fit and transferable skills rather than qualifications, and then upskilling.

• Looking after our people.

• The success of the Trainee Track Inspector program etc.

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