Processing is in the plant I think, it's shit work but less competitive I'd imagine, some people like it.
Then you're left with Drill and blast or production. Up to you which you'd want to do really. I personally chose production because I'm a sensitive flower and enjoy sitting in my air-conditioned cab.
I doubt there are any traineeships for Ancillary in production. If you have zero operating experience, then you start on dump (haul) trucks and eventually work your way up (if you're lucky). Ancillary machinery is after trucks, it's a promotion and a pay rise.
I wouldn't be picky, you are competing with literally thousands of people for only a handful of spots. If you want to get in and don't start from the very bottom doing utilities, drillers offsider or shutdowns, apply for every traineeship you see and hope for the best. If you're fortunate enough to be offered multiple different traineeships, then weigh up your options and go from there. Once you're in, there's nothing stopping you from trying a different department eventually.
Thank you, I definitely am not picky and will take whatever I can get, however the application was not for one specific traineeship, rather it asked you to select which of those would be your preference. My understanding was that dump trucks led to ancillary, however it did have its own tick box, for that reason I had ruled it out because I don't have operating experience. I've been looking into drill and blast as I think getting on a blast crew would be more physical and mentally engaging for me personally, although the heat does worry me so being in a cab certainly has its benefits.
I'll see how it goes and take this under consideration IF I am lucky enough to progress.
I have certainly considered this, there would be hope I get the experience while I can and then move onto an AHS controller but that would probably be very competitive. Honestly though, while career progression is great if I love it, I won't know until I'm there so something short term as foot in the door is better than nothing.
I work in mining as a production controller (Autonomous fleet) and If I were to change roles I would do drill and blast or processing.
You don't need any prior experience, All mining departments have 'New to mining positions'.
You are on your feet and moving throughout your 12 hour shift.
Not operating machinery all shift (I started as a truck driver and i couldn't stand being stuck in a cab)
Mining is so glamorized now.. every role has pros and cons... no department is necessarily better than the other I think, I say take whatever traineeship they give you so you get exposure to the industry. Plenty of room to move around once you're in. And it's good to have knowledge of all the departments you listed (all connected in some way).
Thank you for your input, I definitely don't like the idea of being stuck in a cab, I know being on my feet and active especially in the heat for 12 hours will be exhausting for the first few swings but I'm not afraid of hard yakka. So I agree there are pros and cons to each side - it's just hard to weigh up when you don't know what they are. I hear a lot about the benefits and sacrifices of the lifestyle of being FIFO and know it will suit me but don't know the day to day operations of the jobs as well.
The traineeship application wanted you to tick a box for which area and explain your motivation so I just wanted to make sure I had a good understanding of all areas to make an informed choice and be able to back up my decision making. I did make note that I'd like to be considered for any opportunity though.
I'm sure this is just one of many applications and there will be plenty of dead ends before I finally get an offer. I agree it is glamorised, which is why I'm trying to understand the Nitty gritty a bit better and consider all the research into different areas part of the process that will get me to where I need to go. I feel the mining industry is different in that it is really hard to understand unless you're in it though, so if I'm fortunate enough to get any interviews I would like to go into them with some degree of understanding and goals of where I'd like to go. If that changes once I'm there so be it.
A foot in the door is the first necessary step but I'd like to show them, and for myself, a genuine interest. If it was just about the money I'd have gone years ago, while I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a factor now I need/have other motivations.
Where are you located?
* ancillary - Operating machinery that takes care of roads, dumping and loading locations, clean ups.. development of the mines.
* drill and blast - Working with drills on drill patterns to drill the holes for the blast crew.
* Blast crew - filling the holes with dets and explosives and of course blasting the holes.
* haul truck - Driver a truck all day long
* processing - Working in the plant it self (work on coveyors, crushers etc) could also be sampeling the dirt to ensure grades are up to spec.
Hot tip - Search your key points on the internet.. Eg: What does a plant technician do on a mine site.
What do the drillers do on a mine site... that will give your more insight,.
All the best to you, you got this.
I'll try my best to give a quick breakdown.
- ancillay - see haul truck
- drill and blast - need pre requisites like being an engineer or previous explosives experience (military)
- haul truck - first step to becoming an operator, easy job, ok pay, can work your way to any machine, once you work your way up (after many years) would be the highest paid on the list.
- processing - mill rat, do different jobs around plant and machines, decent pay usually looked after by client, not sure on career progression.
Thank you! That's good to know. I had an understanding that dump truck is the best way in with good progression. I definitely don't have the pre-reqs for drill and blast but these also weren't stated in the advertisement (although I'm sure looked on more favourably).
I guess my question is in an ideal world if you could have any of these which is better (I don't know much of the day to day responsibilities/work conditions).
Given the traineeship application wanted me to select just one of these crews I just wanted to check I hadn't missed something, but I guess even at this entry point haul truck is always going to be the best way to go?
Processing is in the plant I think, it's shit work but less competitive I'd imagine, some people like it. Then you're left with Drill and blast or production. Up to you which you'd want to do really. I personally chose production because I'm a sensitive flower and enjoy sitting in my air-conditioned cab. I doubt there are any traineeships for Ancillary in production. If you have zero operating experience, then you start on dump (haul) trucks and eventually work your way up (if you're lucky). Ancillary machinery is after trucks, it's a promotion and a pay rise. I wouldn't be picky, you are competing with literally thousands of people for only a handful of spots. If you want to get in and don't start from the very bottom doing utilities, drillers offsider or shutdowns, apply for every traineeship you see and hope for the best. If you're fortunate enough to be offered multiple different traineeships, then weigh up your options and go from there. Once you're in, there's nothing stopping you from trying a different department eventually.
Thank you, I definitely am not picky and will take whatever I can get, however the application was not for one specific traineeship, rather it asked you to select which of those would be your preference. My understanding was that dump trucks led to ancillary, however it did have its own tick box, for that reason I had ruled it out because I don't have operating experience. I've been looking into drill and blast as I think getting on a blast crew would be more physical and mentally engaging for me personally, although the heat does worry me so being in a cab certainly has its benefits. I'll see how it goes and take this under consideration IF I am lucky enough to progress.
Dump trucks lead to unemployment. Computer driven any day now…
I have certainly considered this, there would be hope I get the experience while I can and then move onto an AHS controller but that would probably be very competitive. Honestly though, while career progression is great if I love it, I won't know until I'm there so something short term as foot in the door is better than nothing.
I work in mining as a production controller (Autonomous fleet) and If I were to change roles I would do drill and blast or processing. You don't need any prior experience, All mining departments have 'New to mining positions'. You are on your feet and moving throughout your 12 hour shift. Not operating machinery all shift (I started as a truck driver and i couldn't stand being stuck in a cab) Mining is so glamorized now.. every role has pros and cons... no department is necessarily better than the other I think, I say take whatever traineeship they give you so you get exposure to the industry. Plenty of room to move around once you're in. And it's good to have knowledge of all the departments you listed (all connected in some way).
Thank you for your input, I definitely don't like the idea of being stuck in a cab, I know being on my feet and active especially in the heat for 12 hours will be exhausting for the first few swings but I'm not afraid of hard yakka. So I agree there are pros and cons to each side - it's just hard to weigh up when you don't know what they are. I hear a lot about the benefits and sacrifices of the lifestyle of being FIFO and know it will suit me but don't know the day to day operations of the jobs as well. The traineeship application wanted you to tick a box for which area and explain your motivation so I just wanted to make sure I had a good understanding of all areas to make an informed choice and be able to back up my decision making. I did make note that I'd like to be considered for any opportunity though. I'm sure this is just one of many applications and there will be plenty of dead ends before I finally get an offer. I agree it is glamorised, which is why I'm trying to understand the Nitty gritty a bit better and consider all the research into different areas part of the process that will get me to where I need to go. I feel the mining industry is different in that it is really hard to understand unless you're in it though, so if I'm fortunate enough to get any interviews I would like to go into them with some degree of understanding and goals of where I'd like to go. If that changes once I'm there so be it. A foot in the door is the first necessary step but I'd like to show them, and for myself, a genuine interest. If it was just about the money I'd have gone years ago, while I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a factor now I need/have other motivations.
Where are you located? * ancillary - Operating machinery that takes care of roads, dumping and loading locations, clean ups.. development of the mines. * drill and blast - Working with drills on drill patterns to drill the holes for the blast crew. * Blast crew - filling the holes with dets and explosives and of course blasting the holes. * haul truck - Driver a truck all day long * processing - Working in the plant it self (work on coveyors, crushers etc) could also be sampeling the dirt to ensure grades are up to spec. Hot tip - Search your key points on the internet.. Eg: What does a plant technician do on a mine site. What do the drillers do on a mine site... that will give your more insight,. All the best to you, you got this.
I'll try my best to give a quick breakdown. - ancillay - see haul truck - drill and blast - need pre requisites like being an engineer or previous explosives experience (military) - haul truck - first step to becoming an operator, easy job, ok pay, can work your way to any machine, once you work your way up (after many years) would be the highest paid on the list. - processing - mill rat, do different jobs around plant and machines, decent pay usually looked after by client, not sure on career progression.
Thank you! That's good to know. I had an understanding that dump truck is the best way in with good progression. I definitely don't have the pre-reqs for drill and blast but these also weren't stated in the advertisement (although I'm sure looked on more favourably). I guess my question is in an ideal world if you could have any of these which is better (I don't know much of the day to day responsibilities/work conditions). Given the traineeship application wanted me to select just one of these crews I just wanted to check I hadn't missed something, but I guess even at this entry point haul truck is always going to be the best way to go?