BROADFORD Secondary College students had the opportunity to visit the Costerfield Mine near Heathcote recently, through an opportunity with the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA).
Previously, students from Seymour and Wallan had also visited Costerfield, with Broadford now getting to enjoy the opportunity.
MCA’s James Sorahan said it was a good opportunity for students.
“MCA Victoria’s mining career field trips have taken more than 2,000 students from regional schools to Victorian mines to introduce regional kids to the world of mining jobs,” he said.
“Alkane Resources’ Costerfield Mine near Heathcote is a gold and antimony mine like the project near Sunday Creek and employs people from the region. Mining needs skilled roles with electricians, mechanics, engineers, metallurgists and geologists all in short supply so it is important that young people considering subject choices and trades know about local opportunities in one of Australia’s biggest industries.”
Mr Sorahan said there were plenty of opportunities to understand more about the industry, particularly with projects such as the Sunday Creek Exploration Project.
“Local industry needs to support schools in career information and to connect young people to training and job opportunities. MCA Victoria is really proud of this program and we will roll it out to Southern Cross Gold and more projects as they advance,” he said.
“Victoria’s mining sector is calling on the government and looking at ways to boost apprenticeship completion rates. An apprentice mentor or ‘buddy’ role should be investigated as a place-based model to support employers and apprentices in mentoring and keeping young apprentices engaged in training with the completion rate for apprenticeships and traineeships sitting at a woeful 55 per cent. Regional kids would particularly benefit from a mentoring model to help overcome issues with transport and training access.”
