About 120 students from schools across the Hunter gathered in Singleton for the Thiess Mining HER Future girls in mining career forum to discover what mining can offer them for their future careers, and the opportunities that are literally endless.
The day was the brainchild of Kerrie Howells, Senior Advisor Social Performance Australia East, and Head Teacher for Careers for the DET Educational Pathways Program Mick Lee.
Kerrie said the idea came about trying to work out how to best engage with female students about mining careers.
“Mining has been a typically male dominated industry and Thiess are passionate about changing this dynamic. Our aim is to support more women coming into our business and foster their career growth and progression.
“Events like Mining HER Future are about encouraging the girls to ‘think outside the box’ and showing students first hand examples of the multitude of careers that are available to them in the mining industry,” Kerrie explained.
Students heard from four of Thiess’ industry professionals and then broke up into groups hearing about every aspect of the business from finance and administration to geology and surveying and mechanical engineering.
Mick said it’s essential to expose the students to a range of career options so they can make informed decisions, broaden their understanding and support future planning.
“The day was the perfect example of industry and education working collaboratively to create an authentic program. Providing female students direct engagement with industry professionals and hearing real career experiences from women working in the mining sector was outstanding.
“It created a more relatable learning experience. Students asked questions about entry pathways, and work experiences, indicating strong engagement and interest. Many conversations focused on how the Thiess representatives transitioned from school into apprenticeships, traineeships, or university pathways,” Mick said.
“Hopefully, what they traditionally thought mining was – big trucks, dust and hard hats – now has been expanded to fit their career dreams,” Kerrie said.
The day featured a panel with four leaders in Thiess business, Beth Conliffe the Health Safety and Training Manager at Mt Arthur South, Technical Services Manager at Mt Pleasant Operations Sarah Wells, 3rd year high voltage electrical apprentice Laura Goldrick and Ashlee Cox an Environmental Advisor at Mt Pleasant Operations.
“It was important to me to select female champions for the panel, that were excellent examples of Thiess women having successful careers at Thiess and more importantly having them each share their personal journeys with the students,” Kerrie said.
Mick agreed the conversations the young women in the room had were invaluable.
“They were effective in providing both broad insights and personalised discussions, allowing students to engage at different levels and ask questions specific to their needs. It ensured students could both listen to shared experiences and seek advice relevant to their own interests,” he said.
