Stuart is one of our success stories who got a job with his mate Chris and was kind enough to answer a questionnaire for us.
Here is a very honest account of what their mining experience has been in SA (remember all mines are run differently and have different facilities):-
| 1. What age bracket are you in? 18-35 36–50 51-65 I am under the age of 30 |
| 2. What made you decide to get into mining? I have always been fascinated with any kind of mobile equipment since I was a little boy and I used to dream about driving big machines and trucks. |
| 3. Why did you decide to be a dump truck operator? Being a dump truck operator is one of the entry level jobs so I went with that to start with hoping to progress to other machinery in the future. |
| 4. What were you doing for work before this? I am a qualified mechanic by trade and went up the ladder in the trade, worked as a chippy for a few years and then a civil labourer on the rails |
| 5. Why did you decide to do training before trying to get a job? It was a no brainer really, thought with the right training it would give me a much better chance at getting into the mines. |
| 6. Why did you choose My Solution for training? My solution training was the only company I found that actually looked legitimate and talking to Michelle confirmed that it was the real deal. Plus just speaking to her on the phone for the first time reassured me she wasn’t there to waste people’s time or money. Michelle had all the time in the world for all my questions and queries and sounded honest and genuine. |
| 7. What did you think of your training? I thought my training was done professionally, in a timely manner, and it gave me the tools I needed to make my way into the mining industry with a much better understanding of what is expected. |
| 8. What did you think of your trainers? I thought the trainers were Awsem and made the course a lot of fun :)) |
| 9. You got a resume professionally done by Resume Righters, were you happy with it? Was very happy with the resume Michelle made for me. |
| 10. What steps did you take to get a job? Where did you look? I followed the outline My Solution Training provided and spent hours on the phone calling and emailing company’s and searching for more contacts on my own, anywhere and everywhere. |
| 11. How long did it take you to get a job? Took a few months to get a job. Was painful but rewarding in the end to get my foot in the door and my mate got in with me so that was great. |
| 12. What happened when you first got to site, did you have to do inductions etc? Yes we had to do inductions when we first got to site. We also had to read a lot of policies and procedures then sign to say we read and understood them. |
| 13. Did they provide a trainer for you the first time you got into one of their trucks? No they did not provide a trainer. We sat in what they call a “dickie seat” for 10 days as a passenger. Then a trainer took me for a drive before I got behind the wheel. Then with the same person who drove with me in the dickie seat. I drove for a following 7 days before I was passed out by the trainer to drive solo. |
| 14. Were you nervous? Yes of course I was nervous haha |
| 15. What swings / hours are you doing? I work with my best mate 14 days straight 12 hour shifts, 7 days and 7 nights. |
| 16. Did they provide your PPE? Yes they provide PPE |
| 17. Do you have to get yourself to site? We caught a bus to work from the pub, provided by the company. Now I work at a different mine in SA and we also get a bus provided by the company to site. We are responsible for our travels from Melbourne to SA and they will fly you from the capital city of that state to the mine. |
| 18. What is your accommodation like? Accommodation at the first mine in Perth was alright. Just the bare essentials at the back of a very old pub Second mine have 2 types of rooms. One that is literally a small, steel box with no windows with bair essentials (the bronks) or we have a decent room/bathroom in an updated cabin type room. They call this group of rooms (Hollywood) |
| 19. What is the food like? Food at the first mine was to be honest pretty average. Standard pub food / open bay maree very bland food and lots of deep fried meats. Heaps of junk food available which wasn’t good and no gym! Second mine they have a much healthier range of food avalible, fresh fruit, salad, wraps, pre packed lunches that are healthy too. |
| 20. Do they have a gym? Yes they have 2 gyms. One is a cardio gym and the other is a weights gym. |
| 21. Is there anything else that you think it would be good to tell someone who is just starting out in the industry that you would have liked to have known? It is a very real thing to feel very isolated and and alone, especially after work when you go back to your room. So as long as you set yourself some goals, be social, and keep in contact with people and family at home you will do just fine 🙂 |