Moranbah pilot program lights the way for a career in mining
Nicholas preparing for an underground simulation tour at Resources Centre of Excellence in Mackay, QLD.
A pioneering Moranbah, QLD program designed to equip local talent with cutting-edge electrotechnology skills is creating career pathways into the mining industry while fostering thriving communities.
Anglo American – which operates five steelmaking coal mines in the Bowen Basin – partnered with Moranbah State High School (MSHS) and Major Training to deliver the electrotechnology course in the region.
The course provides an entry-level understanding of electrical systems, circuitry and safety while allowing graduates to carve six months off an electrical apprenticeship.
With a 100% success rate, the 19 graduating students from Moranbah, Dysart and Clermont will get four credits towards the 20 credits needed to complete their Queensland Certificate of Education.
MSHS student Alexandra Ibbertson, who is about to finish the electrotech course, was also selected as a school-based trainee at Anglo American’s Moranbah North Mine in January.
Miss Ibbertson says the course and the traineeship have been invaluable for steering her to a career in the mining industry.
“It has shown me a full, in-depth scope of what will come if I end up as an electrician in the field,” she said.
“It’s taught me about safety, teamwork and how important it is to co-operate in a group.
“With Moranbah being such a small town and mining being the central focus of it, having courses such as these allow students to transition smoothly into the mining industry and help them secure apprenticeships for the future.”
Moranbah North Mine offers three school-based traineeships, four mechanical and four electrical apprenticeships and six new-to-industry positions each year.
The company’s nearby Grosvenor Mine offers three electrical and three mechanical apprenticeships each year, as well as four new-to-industry roles.
Moranbah North Mine general manager Paul Stephan says they have received more than 1,500 applications for the 14 apprentice and new-to-industry roles advertised last month and will advertise in August for the next intake of school-based apprentices.
Mr. Stephan says this year’s three school-based trainees have all been selected from the MSHS electrotech program, which Anglo American funded when it learned there was a pathway gap.
“In supporting this electrotechnology program, we are reinforcing our commitment to local jobs and community development,” he said.
“It offers a terrific career pathway as it’s a natural step into a mine apprenticeship whether mechanical or electrical.
“By hiring locally, we ensure we retain talent within our region, driving economic growth and sustainability for years to come.
“It keeps kids connected to family and community while providing a talent pipeline to ensure we have sustainable operations going forward and helps to keep our local businesses thriving.”
Major Training assessor Terry Turnbull, who is teaching the students in the course at MSHS, says it provides the Certificate 2 basics in electrotechnology.
Mr. Turnbull says the students gain knowledge and skills that open up a pathway to not just electrical work but also to engineering or project management.
“My dream is to see these students dream big and take the mining industry by storm,” he said.
“They are hidden gems for the mining projects coming forward and it’s important they are part of the solution going forward.
“Local talent is important to growing small towns and keeping them sustainable.”
The Moranbah electrotech graduates were treated to a visit to the Resources Centre of Excellence (RCoE) in Mackay to celebrate the end of their course.
As well as participating in some project work to visualise stage 3 of RCoE in Moranbah, the students also kitted up for the centre’s underground simulation and tried the Anglo American Virtual Reality Training Laboratory.
Moranbah student Bradley Oram says it was an eye-opening, hands-on experience that cemented his desire to work in the mining industry.
Mr. Oram says he is hoping to secure an electrical apprenticeship and potentially go to university for an electrical engineering degree down the track.
“I’m looking at an electrical pathway into an apprenticeship,” he said.
“I was leaning towards auto electrical but after this electrotechnology program, I’m definitely open to becoming a high voltage electrician.
“If the school reaches out to you, you get your foot in the door with industry and it makes it easier to figure out what you want to do.
“If you help get the kids into the industry, that’s obviously making the town more sustainable.”
Fellow graduate Brooke Foley says her electrician father has inspired her to pursue this career.
“I grew up helping him around the house which made me interested in it,” she said.
“Having courses like this in school, it builds the future generations to have the incentive to go into mining careers and follow the paths of their elders.”
Anglo American’s electrical tradespeople maintain the electrical infrastructure that powers underground operations from the longwall to conveyors, the ventilation system and other mining equipment. Their work includes circuitry, wiring, diagnostic work, communication systems, lighting and atmosphere monitoring systems.
Anglo American mechanical tradespeople maintain the diesel fleet, transportation vehicles, loaders and hydraulic systems.
In Australia, Anglo American operates five steelmaking coal mines in QLD’s Bowen Basin, along with additional joint venture interests in steelmaking coal and manganese, and base metals exploration projects in QLD and WA.
