The mining skills centre at Hunter TAFE’s Muswellbrook campus was established in response to a group of mining industry partners identifying a skills gap in their first year apprentices, including little practical experience or understanding of the mining culture and employer expectations.

The apprentices now attend Muswellbrook TAFE for the first eight months of their apprenticeship, receiving high quality training and knowledge in skills like plant mechanics, work health and safety, community engagement and environmental awareness, before commencing work at a local mine.

The partnership comprises mine operators Anglo American Drayton Coal, BHP Billiton Mt Arthur Coal, Rio Tinto Coal and Allied, Muswellbrook Coal, Vale Integra Coal and Xstrata Coal as well as Muswellbrook Council, Hunter TAFE, Powerserve and local community representatives.

NSW Minerals Council chief executive Stephen Galilee said the award was aimed at sharing best practice across the industry.

“Tonight’s overall winner, Hunter TAFE and the industry partners involved, have been recognised for working together to raise new standards in training provided across a range of disciplines,” he said.

“This program has transformed the way that trade skills are delivered and the way that apprentices are utilised for productivity in their workplaces.”

In a separate award, Xstrata Coal’s Bulga coal handling and preparation plant was highly commended and took out the people’s choice award for its successful industry-first trial of central thickened discharge with coal tailings.

In search of a method that would enable quicker drying and faster rehabilitation of mine tailings, the Bulga team discovered a process that enabled rehabilitation in a far shorter timeframe and also reduced its cost to the company.

“Whether it’s successfully skilling our new people or reaching new goals in mine rehabilitation, our excellence awards provide the many creative individuals in our industry with the opportunity to develop ideas which can then be road tested and rolled out across the sector,” Galilee said.

“Our industry is changing and we must always keep innovating, setting new standards and raising the bar, challenging ourselves to move above and beyond best practice across our operations.”