By Jason Nitz, Guest Blogger working for major Australian gold producer in Indonesia at The Resource Channel

Image: Sunshine Coast Recruitment is a local company assisting potential employees in their dreams to achieve a mining job - currently they have so many applicants their quote is full!

Contrary to the norm, my journey started well before I actually worked for a miner. I left high school in 1989 not knowing what I wanted to do. Mining didn’t even rate a mention in those days as it wasn’t the media focus it is now. University wasn’t an option for me as I’d had enough of studying. Besides, I don’t think my TE score would have got me into any university! I eventually joined the Navy after nothing else took my fancy.

Upon leaving the Navy I had several jobs; from service station attendant to flight data officer at Brisbane Air Traffic Control, none of which were career focussed in any real direction. The Navy had instilled some discipline in me, but very few jobs in the military set you up with a career in civilian life. After becoming sick with Ross River fever, my doctor suggested a ‘life-style change’ and I chose IT thinking it would satisfy the doctor’s orders. Boy was I wrong!

I completed a fast-track Diploma in Systems Technology through a recognised Institute, and as I was in the top 3 graduates in the class, I got to choose the best employer who had openings through the Institute’s placement scheme. In 2001 it was Mincom who was recognised as being one of the best companies to work for as an IT graduate. I eventually spent 3 years at Mincom working on the help desk, rising to senior help desk administrator. My journey to mining had begun and I didn’t even know it.

Upon finding out my wife was pregnant, we decided we wanted a change in our lifestyle and started to look for jobs in remote areas where life was simple and the raising of a child could become our focus and not the pace of life a big city demanded. As a stroke of luck, Rio Tinto’s Ranger mine in the Northern Territory were looking for a Systems Administrator, and as it turns out, they had a Mincom product and knowledge of the system was rated highly. I applied and got the job after the first interview. My career in mining had started.

Since then I’ve worked for three large mining companies mostly in the position of Superintendent or Specialist. I’ve transitioned from IT to OT - Operational Technology - in the last few years, mainly as my unique blend of experience over the years has put me in a growing area within mining, namely mining technology. I’ve lived in remote towns in Australia, done a stint in head offices in Melbourne and Brisbane, lived and work in the Middle East, and I’m currently in Asia in another unique opportunity.

Mining offers exciting and interesting job prospects for those who wish to take them. That’s reflected in my number one piece of advice: be willing to take opportunities you may not have thought of or considered. And I don’t mean once you’re in mining as you have to get there first, but in your journey to get into the mining industry. Mining is supported by many other industries that offer a great “leg up” to mining itself. Consider joining one of these support industries if your application to the mining companies isn’t getting noticed. Even if it’s not what you want to do or are qualified for, you’ll soon be recognised for what you do well.

There is more to mining than driving trucks – it’s the image most mining company’s use in advertising but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Don’t think that getting a HV license is automatic qualification for a mining job driving trucks. You need experience before you get to drive the big toys. Most drivers come from other areas of mining mainly as they have a wide range of experience. As another example, if you want to get into geology but aren’t sure about the study, become a field assistant or driller’s assistant. You’ll soon start to realise if it’s for you. And if it isn’t, something else is bound to grab your attention.

For those of you who aren’t university educated or have clear career goals, there are plenty of opportunities left in mining. Just broaden your search for a job to take in those services that support mining, and before you realise it, you’ll be one step closer to your goal. Think about taking a job in a remote town or another part of Australia as these are sometimes hard to fill. Make yourself stand out and you’ll get noticed. And remember, focusing on the big miners for a job is only part of the story.

To follow my experiences working for a major gold producer in Indonesia, click here: http://spiceislandsadventure.wordpress.com/ 

Do you have any advice to share on getting into the mining industry? How did you make your start? Or are you looking to break into this industry at the moment?

Lincoln Crawley - Mining for Skills

Friend or foe? A collaborative approach to solving the skills shortage seems to have fallen off the agenda for state governments, opting instead for a combative strategy that aims to poach skills from other Australian regions.

The Queensland Government has recently made an offer to New South Wales workers – move to Queensland and we’ll give you a $10,000 bonus to help you “make the shift”. The bonus is designed to help relocating job seekers build new homes in Queensland – which might be particularly appealing for job seekers looking at creating a more convenient base for fly in-fly out work in Queensland’s resources sector.

The offer might be good for Queensland, but it’s not so good for New South Wales. Skills shortages are everywhere, and New South Wales is no exception.

Earlier this year, Mike Sacco wrote a blog post on the issue of skills poaching. In it, he talked about the resources sector poaching skills from other industries, warning that poaching skills was a short term band-aid – not a solution – that would eventually result in widespread poaching of skills from other resources companies. And he was right. Now, we’re not just seeing skills poaching from other industries and companies, but from other states that have just as many skills shortage problems.

Of course, the term ‘skills shortage’ can often be misleading. A skills shortage is different to a people shortage. What we really mean is ‘talent mismatch’ – there are plenty of people, they just don’t have the right skills, the ones most in demand.

On one hand, encouraging job seekers to consider a change in location to find work is a good idea. It works when job seekers can’t find work in their current location, but their skills are in need somewhere else. For example, the displaced Bluescope Steel workers from Port Kembla – the target of Anna Bligh and the QLD Government in her address to a trade & investment roadshow in Sydney – may in fact need to relocate to find work relevant to their skill set.

But on the other hand, poaching skills from other states is a slippery slope – it’s a difficult line to draw between attracting job seekers to another state who are finding it difficult to find work in their current location, and attracting job seekers willing to leave a state that still needs them – for one which offers more financial incentives. That type of thinking won’t solve the national skills shortage problem. It’s just shifting the problem elsewhere.

Instead, we should look at planned, sustainable workforce movements that effectively share the workers we have while we build up and train the workforce we need. The Federal Government’s Connecting People With Jobs program goes some way towards a more thought-out process, but clearly it needs to link more directly with state government attraction programs to have its intended effect.

Are you looking for a job interstate? Or are you an employer trying to retain staff in these tough economic times?

• The concept that some trades are dirty work and don’t pay enough.
• The length of the apprenticeship – three to four years which is the same as a university degree.
• Parents seeing the need for the children to do better than they did so pushing them to a higher calling.
• The transient nature of Gen Y and Gen Z who are likely to move around careers and jobs at frequent intervals.
• Trade Unions are against major changes to the trade apprentice system.
• Government has attempted to give incentives to companies to put on apprentices with the Australian Apprenticeships system which includes trade apprenticeships but also other traineeships. The funding for these traineeships is significant and many companies are eager to cash in on the opportunity. The difficulty is finding and retaining candidates for the roles.

Better safety standards needed after three insulation deaths 
 

The Hon Greg Hunt MP
Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Water

I am deeply saddened by news of the third death of an installer operating under the Federal Government’s Home Insulation Program.

It raises deep questions about the need for better training under the Government’s scheme.

A 19-year old man died from suspected heat-stroke on the weekend after installing insulation during Sydney’s heatwave conditions.

It follows the deaths of a 16-year old teenager last week and a 25-year old man last month in Queensland from reported electrocution. These are all deep human tragedies.

This is on top of concerns about roof fires caused by improperly installed insulation. NSW fire authorities are reporting double the number of such fires compared with last year.

Only today, one senior industry expert told me of his fears of even more fires.

I would urge Mr Garrett to release better safety and training standards under his program now.

There are thousands of installers climbing around Australian roofs who lack sufficient training on safety and proper installation.

Mr Garrett was specifically warned by industry about safety, waste and rorting issues when he was setting up the scheme early this year.

It is time for an urgent inquiry that examines the safety risks of the Government’s Home Insulation Program.

It is time the Minister announced a comprehensive plan to secure the safety of installers and home owners taking part in his costly insulation program.

The easing of water restrictions across South-East Queensland due to the recent influx of dust across the region has been met with some well advised tips from a the states peak plumbing body.

The Master Plumbers Association of Queensland (MPAQ) is reminding residents that the practice of water-wise usage is still vital to the preservation of the precious resource that is water and is also a key to keeping the dreaded water bills down.

MPAQ President Bob Kimlin says those using their hoses to get rid of the dust must be wary and not over do it.

"The dust has left its mark on the majority of things around the house, including the house itself. Although water restrictions have been eased temporarily, this doesn’t mean the meters have been turned off altogether."

Mr Kimlin says there are a number of things that can be done to ensure the house and car end up sparkling and the bills are kept low.

"We need to ensure residents across the state are still thinking smart and using their hoses with water conservation in mind"

"Simple things like a shorter shower over the coming week will allow you to use more water on washing the windows and your pavers outside"

"Hoses with triggers or even high pressure low water use cleaners are a great option to ensure that you are using water in an effective and efficient manner."

Mr Kimlin says the need to turn back the clock on some practices learnt from years of water restrictions can ensure the dust vanishes.

"We need to think outside the box for just this coming week and remember that the meters are still running, shy away from washing your car on the grass and do so on the dusty drive way, it’s a two in one solution."

Mr Kimlin says that while changes to plumbing legislation and water restrictions over the past 5 years has encouraged the instalment of a number of water saving devices throughout homes and businesses, many users still fail to use the products they have installed effectively.