NSW coal mine jobs are hitting the mining headlines this week, as mining company Whitehaven Coal starts production.
Underground mining at the Whitehaven Narrabri Coal Mine is back up and running after the change out of the existing longwall.
Whitehaven made a statement to the media indicating the second longwall panel at Narrabri was finished in January. New mining equipment has been installed and panel three is now back in full production mode.
Despite the mining company having a bad run in terms of management issues with Nathan Tinkler, Whitehaven seem to have� turned the corner of late. Coal production at its Narrabri operation in New South Wales broke existing records� in the December 2013 quarter. Run of Mine coal production at the mine site was estimated to be somewhere in the region of 3.29 million tonnes for the first half, with saleable coal production 2.91 million tonnes for the same period.
In terms of future production targets at the mine, Whitehaven foresees a production outcome of about 5.5 million tonnes of coal for the 2014 financial year.
“a strong performance with record production”
Whitehaven managing director and CEO Paul Flynn said, “Narrabri has reported strong performance with record production and sales for the half,”.
“Longwall production in panel three commencing safely, on schedule and on budget is positive news and, significantly, moves the mine into a one change-out per annum mode of operation.”�
Whitehaven Coal has recently been in the news as more coal mine jobs in NSW were created when it awarded Downer EDI a contract for its Maules Creek coal mine.
Coal mine jobs at Whitehaven
Whitehaven is the emerging force in the Australian coal mining industry. The proactive mining company will have a combined workforce of over 1000 workers in the next five years. They are an ASX listed company�with a high quality portfolio of coal producing mines and are developing three of Australia’s most significant new coal projects.
Whitehaven’s coal mining operations are at their Narrabri underground longwall operation and three existing open cut coal mines – each situated in NSW’s Gunnedah Basin.
- View Whitehaven’s current NSW coal mine jobs in Open Cut mining
- View Whitehaven’s current vacancies in other fields
Tips for people seeking NSW coal mine jobs
“a self-adjustment phase”
“confidence is slowly returning to NSW coal”
“cutting-edge innovations”
A mining jobs checklist
- The first thing to decide is to understand what types of mining jobs you can do
- Mining Qualifications and real-world experience will be the significant linchpin to securing mining employment
- A healthy attitude and a willingness to learn and be lead by others will be highly regarded by mining companies
- Safety focused individuals will reap the rewards of career advancement into higher management
- Continual self improvement (training courses) and personal development are pathways to a solid future in the industry
Mining jobs of the future
- As technology drives innovation in mining, creative and technologically minded people will be in high demand
- Repairs and maintenance crews will always be in demand as more and more pressure is placed on mining machinery due to increased production targets
- Diesel, electrical and mechanical fitters jobs will be high on the list for recruiters and mining companies to fill
- Electronics specialists will be required to attend to more complex computer-driven equipment
- Specialist machinery operators will be in high demand as more and more emphasis is placed on efficient work practices
- Filling middle and higher management roles will be a top priority for mine site executives
- Training and assessing jobs will soar as more and more emphasis is placed on upskilling and retaining existing employees
- Work Health and Safety positions in the mining industry will forever be in demand, owing to the dangerous and high-risk working environment
