BMA, Adani to hire local QLD residents

BMA will recruit Bowen Basin locals into its 2021 apprenticeship program, while Adani joined forces with CQUniversity to launch a new graduate program for six students.

Both companies are focussing on local employment, with BMA having welcomed 56 local apprentices in its cohort of apprentices last year.

BMA has sent offers across the regions where its mines operate, recruiting people from Moranbah, Blackwater, Dysart, the Greater Mackay area and central and north Queensland.

Roles span from electrical, mechanical, diesel fitting, auto-electrical, refrigeration mechanical to boiler making.

BMA asset president James Palmer said the company’s top priority is building a workforce with a solid foundation of local people, especially in current times as coronavirus sweeps the nation.

“While the challenges of COVID-19 continue to evolve, it’s important we continue to support the local communities where we operate,” Palmer said.

“This includes seeking another strong apprentice cohort for 2021 to ensure our workforce is built upon solid foundations of local qualified tradespeople.

“We are looking for applicants from a diverse group, spanning school leavers through to mature age people, reflecting the Bowen Basin communities in which we operate.”

One of the 2020 cohort is a Dysart local who heard about BMA’s apprenticeship program while attending Dysart State High School. She then took on an apprenticeship as a boilermaker at the Saraji mine in Queensland.

“I have found my dream career,” she said. “Boiler making is so interesting, because instead of replacing parts I get to make them from scratch.

“From my first day on the job, I learned something new each day and everyone works as one team.”

Adani is also giving preference to applicants from central and north Queensland residents.

The Adani graduate engineer program will see participants placed in the company’s senior engineering team at the Carmichael mine and rail project over a period of 18 months.

The opportunity is open to graduates from mining, civil, mechanical and electrical engineers for up to two years of post-graduate study.

Adani Mining chief executive Lucas Dow, who started his career as a mining engineer, acknowledged the benefits of the opportunities awarded by the mining industry firsthand.

“I would strongly encourage anyone looking for an exciting and rewarding career in the resources industry to apply,” Dow said.

“Our first graduate engineer intake is unique, in that successful applicants will be given the opportunity to work across both the construction and operational phases of our (Carmichael) project, which is rare in the current resources environment.”

The BMA and Adani programs are open for application until June 17 and June 19, respectively.