Starting a new job or traineeship, particularly at a mine site can be both a daunting and exciting experience. Dreampath Recruitment in Muswellbrook is taking some of that daunting feeling out of the recruitment process for Indigenous employees helping them walk in more comfortable and confident.

Dreampath is a partnership between Blackrock Industries and Protech Group and by the end of the year, just 18 months after opening in Muswellbrook, will have seen 51 potential Indigenous employees go through its pre-employment program.

By the end of October, 35 of those people will be in their Cert III Surface Extraction Traineeships, 14 are still live for interviews, and two have transitioned into a Cert III Supply Chain Operations traineeship at Thiess Mt Arthur South.

Dreampath Business Development Manager and Newcastle Knights Old Boy Kurt Gidley said the program they take students through is different, and it works.

“We opened the Dreampath training facility in July 2023.

“The business invested in a state-of-the-art ThoroughTec Mine Simulator, and recently we have developed and purchased new coal mine specific software that is going to take the simulator and training to a whole new level!

“Our huge point of difference is our Two Week Pre-Employment Mining Program. Our candidates are required to pass our internal recruitment process first and then transition into our two week Operator Program which they are required to successfully pass.

“The week starts with time in the classroom with Robyn our Head Trainer who goes through industry expectations, the role of a Haul Truck Operator, safety procedures, the hierarchy of controls, prior to spending time in the simulator learning how to safely and confidently operate and how to respond to emergencies like a truck fire or a tyre blowout.

“We also use an interactive sandpit as a training tool to teach the various ways to back under a digger and if there’s a breakdown of machinery how to pass around them safely.

“It’s a great pathway for our candidates. We prepare them as best we can for their first day on site to ensure when they arrive on site, they are competent and confident.”

Before starting as the Head Trainer at Dreampath, Robyn spent 23 years in the mining industry in Western Australia, Queensland and in the Hunter Valley.

She couldn’t speak highly enough of the program and wishes there was something like it around when she was preparing to enter the mining industry.

“The feedback I’ve had from our candidates when they go on site is that they’re feeling more comfortable walking in that first day and they’re more confident.

“The simulator isn’t a real haul truck, but it gives them that basic knowledge that they need.

“My idea is that the first time they hear about it is here at Dreampath and the second time they hear it is when they are doing their induction on site and the third time is when they actually have their onsite trainer and by then we hope the information has sunk in.

“As an onsite trainer what I try to teach them here is what I would’ve liked as an onsite trainer somebody to have known before they walked onto a mine site,” said Robyn.

The Dreampath Program’s success has been recognised by the industry, winning the Community Excellence Award and the People’s Choice Award at NSW Mining’s Health, Safety, Environment and Community Awards.

“It’s an incredible achievement to have done that in just over 12 months as a completely new supplier to the industry,” said Kurt.

At this stage, Dreampath is supplying quality people to Thiess Mt Arthur South, Thiess Mt Pleasant and Bengalla Mining Company in Muswellbrook.

Dreampath wouldn’t have been able to achieve all it has without the strong support of MACH Energy Mount Pleasant Operation’s Aboriginal Community Development Fund (ACDF).

MACH Energy Mount Pleasant Operation External Relations Manager Ngaire Baker said they are extremely proud to support Dreampath and just as proud to be one of the first sites to take trainees on board when they started.

“Still in the early stages of our operation we understand what it takes to stand up and stand out from the crowd. Operating near the Muswellbrook township, Mount Pleasant prides itself the excellent relationships maintained with our neighbours. Investing across community and business initiatives we have committed funding towards local programs and continue to oversee commitments relating to the ACDF and welcome the opportunity this provides for us to make a meaningful contribution to sustainability and well-being of Aboriginal communities in the Upper Hunter Valley.

“If it were easy, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” This quote sums up exactly what the Dreampath team have created, developed, and continue to achieve.”