How Many People On Ahb Work For The Mining/resources Sector?

[_HOME_BREW_WALLACE_]

G'day,


Just wondering how many AHB'ians do or have worked for the mining sector? The reason i'm asking, is that for the last 12 months i have been applying for jobs that i can do. But all i get are e-mails saying:

"please feel free to check our careers page for further positions"

or

"Thankyou for your enquiry, although you have been unsuccessful this time, we will keep your resume on file and inform you when an opportunity arises"

Re-Location isn't an issue, and I'm a qualified cnc machinist (AKA Fitter and Turner 7 years). Just wondering if anyone has any ideas on what i should/can do (ie. course on ????, apply for HR License - not able to do anything about that till end of September)

Cheers!

_wallace_

 

[yardy]

Gday Wall,

It's not as easy as it once was due to the ever increasing number of safety gurus straight out of Uni with absolutely no ******* idea about the industry, each new influx of experts introduce more compulsory safety training making it harder for 'cleanskins' to enter the game.
A site that I'm currently working at has an average of 96 hours training before you even get through the gate.

PM me and I might be able to help with some info.

cheers

Dave

 

[Dave70]

Must depend on where you want to work vs skills you bring to the table.
A mate who use to live local closed up his plumbing business and now lives in Mudgee and works in the mines up there. Best move he ever made he reckons.
My cousin did a course in disposals (or whatever the military terminology is) whilst in the army. Got a job in some mine up north blowing things up. Sounded like a dream job at the time, but he's since re joined the army so I guess not.

He said basically the same as thing yardy to me once. 'For **** sake, I came from a job where I could potentially get shot to a job where you need sit through an induction course to wipe your arse'

 

[bowie in space]

I worked as a retail manager and musician for about twelve years. I got so sick of the pay, I packed up from Melbourne last February and moved back to my home town of Yeppoon (near Rockhampton) with the intention of getting into the mines. With no experience or trade it was ******* hard. My old school buddies and other family and friends told me they could help me out but getting into coal was difficult. I didn't give a shit what I did, surface, underground, driving a truck or whatever, but I kept getting rejection letters and emails like you are describing.

I just kept applying eventually for Western Australian jobs, and someone finally answered. The pay was so shit I thought it was a joke at first, not to mention I'd have to drive across the Nullabor on my own. Long story short, I went and never looked back. I left my wife AND my brewing! I then got a job flying in and out of Perth, but still had to pay for my flights to Brisbane. I now have a job flying in and out of Mt Isa to Brisbane (where I am now living).

It's taken me about 18 months of hard yards to get a decent job where I can come home on my break. I now work 2 weeks on/2 weeks off. As an unskilled worker, mining has been great to me. I now have a good paying job (underground hard rock) and I can live where I want to. Once you're in, you're in. As a fitter you shouldn't have a problem getting a job in the Isa or at the moment Western Australia is screaming out for people. Working underground is great. Don't know about coal though. I wouldn't work underground coal, and in my experience it's hard to get into anyway.

There are plenty of mines in NSW too. Orange is a good place to start. That place is really starting to take off. You could move to Mt Isa, you'd most probably work for Xstrata. Try them. Or contractors. Byrnecut, Barminco, Macmahon, Pybar, etc. There are heaps more. They pay well for fitters. Even try labour hire places. Corestaff is a good place to start there. Contractors will fly you in and out of Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane or Gold Coast. Put a HR licence on your resume. Make yourself look like you care about safety, etc. Don't worry about any courses. Once your in they'll pay for you to do all that. Check seek.com everyday and just keep on persisting mate, you'll get there.

Good luck,

Bowie.

 

[seemax]

What's so exciting about the mines?

 

[kocken42]

I worked as a trade assistant (in the construction of exploration camps) in the Pilbara of Western Australia for a few months while on my uni break. I got the job as it was offered to me by a friend of a friend who knew I didn't have any plans over the summer break. I can't give direct advice as to actual mining jobs, but from what I found, most of the people who worked for Fortescue Metals knew someone who was in the industry. It is also known that FMG advertise to people living in Margaret River as I guess they've done their research and found people work better if they have something in common with eachother (and I guess people from Margaret River are generally laid back, and like their wine and surf).

My advice would be to apply for the lowest qualification jobs...the key is to get your foot in the door. One you have worked for a few months, meet a few people and you will be able to swap and change however you please.

Good luck mate. The mining industry can be very rewarding if you are a hard worker and keep your head clean.

 

[esssee]

What's so exciting about the mines?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[tavas]

You just need a start, so keep hassling companies like Skilled, Extraman, Drake, Integrated etc. Couple of times a week. Mining companies outsource their HR, unless you know someone.
I would suggest looking in WA. There's a big skills shortage for trades. Take a hit on pay for a bit to get a start and then go hunting.

 

[yardy]

you don't have to go to WA, just get onto the Shutdowns here in Qld.

 

[seemax]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Maybe few years ago, at least in my field of engineering.

Only marginally higher and in general there are too many compromises especially if you have baggage (ie family).

 

[yardy]

yeah there's the seperation from family and friends to be considered, although i work away from home (have done for about 12 years) I believe the quality time I have with my family is as good or better than others i know who go home every night after work, not sure what your field is but there is still very good money to be earnt in the industry.

cheers

 

[schooey]

Yep. Guilty. Mt Isa, Gove, Whyalla, Pilbara, Mt Tom Price, Bowen Basin, Moomba, Roxby, Freeport, Lahir...blah blah blah. Knowing someone used to always be better than knowing something, but that's changing. Being a fitter and turner makes it harder as all of the machining type work is contracted out these days, and often overseas. Being just a fitter is more attractive. Plant mechanics are the big ticket atm, as are sparkies, anyone that has process or production or mining and the word engineer together on their resume or condition monitoring type geeks. Then there's the enviro-geeks and HR freaks. The old faithful role of driving a haul truck or a loader is even drying up; as Bowie can probably attest to, those jobs are being dominated by the female species...easier on the gear, can deal with the monotony and will find the quickest way from A to B

 

[bowie in space]

yeah there's the seperation from family and friends to be considered, although i work away from home (have done for about 12 years) I believe the quality time I have with my family is as good or better than others i know who go home every night after work, not sure what your field is but there is still very good money to be earnt in the industry.

cheers

Yep totally agree with that. My wife doesn't see me come home tired and grumpy, and visca versa. I do come home a bit tired but after a days rest we get the best out of each other for two weeks.

In response to seemax's question, I never thought I'd be earning this kind of money. The new position I'm looking at is a $45K p/annum payrise. That's more than I was making 2 years ago! Furthermore, the personal challenge of changing careers at 31 years old has also made it worthwhile.

And finally, most importantly, my brewing schedule is mapped out beautifully. :icon_cheers: During my break I brew, bottle, drink, clean, make starters, drink, rack, add finings,drink, plan more brews, bum around on this site, drink, etc. While I'm away I'm safe in the knowledge my brews are fermenting nicely ready for when I come back.

Makes it all worthwhile. :beer:

 

[Tony]

I work for BHP in a massive coal mine in the hunter valley.

I too spent most of the last 15 years applying for jobs in the coal mines but with no experience they didnt want a bar of me. Im a lecco by trade and went out to Cobar 15 years back to work in the gold mines out there, but still couldnt get in to the coal industry. So i worked around rural NSW for years in cotton and food processing, learnt lots and lots, got an engineering diploma in control systems and industrial electronics and learnt lots and lots more. I have a talent for "fixing stuff" and fault finding and i gathered as much knowledge as i could.

Work out bush was going south with the drought so we sold up and moved the the Hunter valley. I was confident i could get into the mines, with the resource boom, trade shortage and my experience and qualifications.

But no...... nothing but knock backs.

I was working for a crap wage in a little power station and talking to people, i learnt your best chance is to get into the mines with contractors doing the crap work but it gets you valuable experience.

I got off the tools and got a job as a control systems engineer and after 6 months of hard learning and deep end work, i was on some of the valleys biggers sites programming their plants up, and i loved it, but i didnt like being a contractor. I did this for 3 years, worked very hard and kept my nose clean, ate plenty of humble pie, made valuable friends and contacts, learnt the industrys ins and outs, the procedures and how the CHPP's worked and started looking around again.

A fellow AHB'r already working at the mine sent me a message one day asking if i was interested in a job as an Instrumentation tech in the Washery. HELL YEAH i thought, i applied and got the job.

Good money, good conditions, and im very happy. 5 day, day work job, No more getting sent away from my family for work by contract engineering company and IM IN!

As said before, once you in you in.

The mines have sooooo many procedures, rules, regulations etc the companies like people who already know their way around all this because as an enployee, your expected to enforce it all with hundreds of connies running around everywhere and its a dangerous industry!

Get a job doing shutdowns or maintenance and get some "hard yards" under your belt. Prove your worth and they will snap you up!.

It is an exciting industry to work in and yes they pay well......... but with that comes a lot of responsability, long hard days, a filthy dirty work place and when its all broken...... they want blood till its going again!

cheers