WA mining operations have been in the news more frequently because of the price drop in iron ore, which has naturally affected the jobs market.

Relying on a global demand is one of the issues with mining, because it may be relatively easy�to get the minerals out of the ground, but at the end of the day, someone has to be prepared to pay a good price for it.

Not all of the mining news from Western Australia is tainted with issues of cut-backs and production challenges. In fact, WA mining company Rio Tinto, along with Fortescue and BHP�is achieving massive production targets for iron ore production and shipments.

Western Australia has been a mining hotspot for some hundred-odd years and more. Owing to the sheer size of the land mass, WA still has many mining�discoveries just waiting to be uncovered.

Mining exploration in WA continues to this day and recently Australian mining exploration firm, Cobre Montana NL announced a new long-term processing license agreement for lithium prospecting.

Global demand for lithium products is increasing and the WA mining company hopes to capitalise on this and it’s worth noting that Western Australia already supplies around 30 percent of total annual lithium product.

The mining exploration agreements will combine Cobre`s mica-based lithium projects with a unique processing technology which is able to extract lithium from the sheet-like mica.

What is Mica?

Mica is an effective electrical and thermal insulator and is a rich source of lithium, which is used in heavy-duty batteries as well as applications such as heat-resistant glass and ceramics, and high strength-to-weight alloys.

Perth-based technology provider, Strategic Metallurgy P/L have developed and perfected the system. The deal has options which will allow it to continue for about 26 years. This long-term licence will position Cobre Montana as a potential future lithium supplier into expanding global markets.

As part of the agreement, Cobre will get exclusive rights to the technology, as well as have the option to license the technology in two further mine sites, either elsewhere in Australia�or overseas.

The managing director of Cobre Montana, Adrian Griffin, said that this deal represented a “step change” for the company.

“The licencing deal follows our recent success in delivering proof-of-concept lithium carbonate production from micas, using the Strategic Metallurgy technology”.

Finding mining jobs in Western Australia

Despite what you may hear, there are still mining job opportunities in WA. Yes, the industry has plateaued in terms of massive jobs growth, however the Cobre agreement is once again an indication of how smaller mining and exploration companies are quietly achieving growth and creating jobs along the way.

Most of the mining news related to smaller mining company activity never reaches the newspapers or mainstream media. Imagine the job opportunities that are passing job seekers by every single day?

That’s why keeping up to date with mining news is one of the best job search strategies you can have. Don’t wait until jobs are advertised on the mining jobs boards like SEEK, Indeed, CareerOne and MyCareer. Get the news that no one else knows about by subscribing to the free iMINCO Project News.

This weekly email contains the ‘good news’ stories and articles to help people understand the mining and resource sector in Australia. Frequent articles are written about job opportunities, job research tips, interview and resume advice.

There’s no contracts, no fees – it comes at no cost to the thousands of readers who subscribe. Give it a try, you may just discover a job opportunity you never knew existed.

Resume scanners will stop your job application . .�. �unless!

When looking for mining jobs in WA, it pays to understand how recruitment works. Mining companies and recruiters have become very selective in who they choose to fill the advertised jobs.

Sophisticated technology is now used extensively to scan resumes to filter out the weaker ones, meaning most people who apply for mining jobs in Western Australia never receive a reply as their resume is flagged as ‘not suitable’.

Despite the advances in technology, it’s possible to create a resume that can pass through the scanning software, thereby increasing the chances of a resume actually being seen by a human.

Have a read of the iMINCO guide to beating resume scanning software. The free guide is available for download; click the banner below�for more information.