Secondary students recently gained insight into the region’s mining industry.
Fosterville Gold Mine welcomed students from Echuca’s St Joseph’s College on a careers field trip earlier this month.
St Joseph’s was the third school to have taken part in the new mine sites program for regional schools, following on from Rochester Secondary College and Cohuna Secondary College.
Minerals Council of Victoria’s executive director James Sorahan said the aim of the field trip was to demonstrate the career possibilities.
“Victoria’s mining industry has started this mine site visits program for schools in the region to make young people aware of the broad range of jobs at mine sites,” he said.
“You can’t be what you can’t see, so bringing students thinking about their career options to a workplace is so important to open their eyes to the jobs available in regional Victoria.”
Fosterville, located east of Bendigo, is the state’s largest gold mine.
Mr Sorahan said the Rochester Secondary College students visited the Costerfield mine, north of Heathcote.
“Students get to meet mining engineers, geologists, apprentices and take a tour of a real operating mine,” he said.
“The types of jobs available from entry level roles as a drilling offsiders to engineers, environmental scientists and diesel mechanics.”
Even though states such as Queensland and Western Australia are indelibly linked with the mining industry, Mr Sorahan said Victoria and in particular the region was in the midst of strong growth opportunities.
“Mining and exploration jobs are growing in central and northern Victoria with the Fosterville and Costerfield mines employing over 1000 people,” he said.
“Exploration is at record highs with over $200 million spent in the last year in Victoria looking for the next big deposit.
“The North Central Ground Release running from Fosterville up to Lockington will mean more exploration work in the region soon.”
Expectations are for the program to continue to grow in the future and strengthen its association with northern Victorian schools.
“The industry has really enjoyed having Cohuna, St Joseph’s and Rochester colleges visit and we look forward to Echuca College visiting in coming months,” Mr Sorahan said.