On the 4-6th of May I had the opportunity to attend the AUSIMM New Leaders Conference in Newcastle. This conference is aimed at graduates and students studying in fields relating to the mining and metallurgical industry. QRC covered the cost of the conference, flights and accommodation which is another great benefit of being a QRC student ambassador. I was pretty excited to go to this as it was my first event I was attending as a QRC student ambassador and I had never been to an industry event like this. On the plane flight down I meet up with Louise and Sam, my fellow student ambassadors. Both of them were great people and I hope to see them again at future events.
The conference consisted of a number of presentations from graduates and industry professionals about the minerals industry, what direction it was moving in, the technical advances taking place, what to expect when we enter the workforce and how to plan out and achieve our career goals. Most of the presentations were quite interesting and gave me a good insight into what the industry was like and which direction I would like to head. There were also plenty of opportunities to mingle with the presenters and other delegates throughout the conference, mainly the meet and greet function held on the first night. The food there was good and the free beer and wine certainly got everyone in a very social mood. I found it really interesting to meet people from other universities and find out that even though they were also studying engineering their degrees were set up different to the engineering program at JCU.
On the third day we had the opportunity to visit one of the Coal & Allied open cut mine sites in the Hunter Valley. We were given a brief history of mining in the area and the current state of the local industry. After a quick safety induction we were taken to a lookout area at the top of the pit. The geologists and mining engineers were able to enjoy this as they were able to pick out things they had learnt about at uni and ask our guides a heap of questions. Being a civil engineer I had no idea what a ‘sump’ or a ‘dyke’ was so I was pretty confused, but after asking a few people I now have a pretty good idea.
Overall I found this to be a great experience and I would recommend attending it if given the opportunity. To be honest the conference was aimed mainly at mining engineers and geologists, so in some parts I felt a bit left out, but there is still a lot to be gained if you wish to pursue a career in the mining industry. Also the tips on personal development and how to further your career opportunities is valuable advice that anyone in any industry can use. Also if your thinking about a career in this industry I would recommend checking out the AUSIMM, I had never heard of them before this conference but turns out they are a great institute and there are a lot of benefits to becoming a member. I would like to thank QRC for giving me the opportunity to attend this conference, without their support I don’t think I would of even heard about this event let alone been able to attend it.
View from the lookout, a large section of the pit being prepared for blasting
Sam and I at the lookout
