JOBS IN MINING

How to get a job at region’s mine sites

APPLYING for an entry-level position is the easiest way to land yourself a mining job with limited experience, according to Metro Mining human resources manager Rob Mulholland.

Within weeks, Cairns will be a fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) hub for the restarted New Century Mine at Lawn Hill, 250km northwest of Mt Isa.

While highly-qualified workers are a sought-after commodity across Queensland mining sites, Mr Mulholland said the industry provided opportunities for people from a variety of backgrounds.

“We employ everything from degree-qualified environmental officers (and) mining engineers to more trade-level positions like operators who drive our bulldozers, excavators, trucks and barges,” he said.

Metro Mining’s Bauxite Hills mining project, 95km north of Weipa, opened in May and currently has a small number of high-qualification positions going.

Mr Mulholland said prospective mine workers should begin by looking for low-level jobs with the bigger mining companies, like Rio Tinto and BHP.

“At the moment, I’m looking for a technical services manager, an environmental superintendent and environmental technician (at Bauxite Hills), all of which are degreequalified,” he said.

“My advice (for those with less experience) is to start at the bottom, because there are always low-level positions going like technician jobs.”

“The bigger companies like Rio Tinto are usually your best choice for that because they have the manpower to take on people with entry-level experience, whereas a smaller project like ours has to be more selective.”

A search for Far North mining jobs on Seek yields 108 jobs.

… START AT THE BOTTOM, BECAUSE THERE ARE ALWAYS LOW-LEVEL POSITIONS GOING … HR MANAGER ROB MULHOLLAND