YANCOAL Mount Thorley Warkworth (MTW) welcomed a group of students from the University of Newcastle to its operations as part of its scholarship program.
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The initiative, aimed at helping pupils to undertake their university degrees and develop skills in their chosen professions, provides scholarships worth $10,000 each to youngsters from the Hunter Valley.
Three students studying engineering, science and teaching donned safety helmets for the day and got up close and personal with a haul truck, visited the mechanical workshop and Integrated Operations Centre (IoC) and met with site professionals to learn more about the career pathways available in the resources sector.
Yancoal MTW general manager Jason McCallum said the site tour was a good way for the pupils to engage with the workforce, learn about the variety and diversity of career options and the role technology plays in improving safety and efficiency of mining processes.
“These students are future leaders and it’s important that we build relationships and provide learning opportunities to attract them into the industry,” he explained.
“Our Integrated Operations Centre, controls mine operations and is a good example of the use of innovative technologies which includes the fleet management system, environmental monitoring systems, CCTV and radio systems, all of which ensure operations are performed with maximum efficiency and lowest environmental footprint.”
University of Newcastle student and Singleton resident Nicholas Hough is studying a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) and Bachelor of Science and was excited to take part in the tour and meet the people at the coalface.
“It was a great opportunity to see first-hand the workings of an open cut coal mine, the technologies used in the industry and talk to people who are undertaking graduate programmes, about their experiences,” he said.
“I gained a valuable insight into the broad range of disciplines in the sector and I look forward to pursuing a career in my chosen field of studies.”
Since 2007, MTW has partnered with the University of Newcastle to provide scholarships, with 125 scholarships provided to support young people in the Hunter Valley.