If you start to go into the differences that are in the industry between states, mining methods, coal or hardrock from mines around the country, it could be pages of information (and I am more than happy to go into it if anyone wants). Lately I have found it easier to explain the industry to new starters by explaining the one rule that all mines inspectorates enforce Australia wide. That the employer has to be able to prove to the mines inspectors, that all workers on site have been trained adequately in the jobs that they are preforming. Records of this training are made in the form of tickets/procedures and must be kept on site, for the inspectors to check as part of their regular site inspections. This one regulation has led to a huge increase in safety over the last 20 years, as it has made the management or the mine owners directly responsible for each employee in a way that can easily be checked.
Knowing this allows you to understand why there is no formal training. Why spend lots of money setting up TAFE courses when the employer has train/show-that-they-have-trained each employee that is hired, no matter how experienced the miner is. This is why most employment ads ask for experience not a qualification like other industries, asking for a formal qualification like a bogger ticket or cert3 in drilling often points to a lack of industry experience by the person placing the ad. This means that tickets obtained on one site can not be transferred to another site. Which means that 3 day truck driving courses aren't going to get you a job any time soon.
So what is going to help get me a job? Information on how the mine works and the systems of work that is used to run them. This is why I recommend the Underground Training courses as part of our "Do it yourself" package. They teach the same standards and systems of work that are used on hardrock mine sites around Australia. To the employers credit, when presented with someone trained in their systems of work, that can answer questions in a confidante manor in an interview, then the employers hire. If you have any questions please leave a message in the link provided.
