Mining future leaders

Report: Sophie Marcard

Two leading mining companies have become founding supporters of Monash University’s new Division of Mining and Resources Engineering.

Newcrest Mining Limited and MMG Limited have both committed significant funding for the new Division. 

Newcrest is one of the world’s top five gold mining companies by production, reserves and market capitalisation. 

MMG is a mid-tier global resources company which explores, develops and mines base metal deposits around the world.

The establishment of the Division of Mining and Resources Engineering is a response to industry requests to Monash.  There is a local and global shortage of mining engineers.  The flagship program of the Division is the Bachelor of Mining Engineering, which is enrolling students for 2013.

“The deficit of graduate mining engineers to fill available roles is chronic,” said Andrew Michelmore, CEO of MMG.

“When you add the opportunities in developing countries such as China and India, there is a gap that must be filled.

“When Monash approached us and outlined the concept for the Division, we were sold.  Here was a top-tier university with an established and successful Engineering faculty, looking to add high-quality mining graduates,” he said.

“Melbourne is the spiritual home of Australia’s great mining houses, and a number of new champions. With one of Australia’s largest catchment of potential students, the absence of a dedicated, top-tier mining engineering school did not make sense.”

For Newcrest, the company’s support grew from the shortage of mining engineers and the lack of courses in Victoria, plus the track record of Monash.

“There were no mining engineering courses in Melbourne – meaning a very significant potential catchment area was not being utilised.  With the prevalence of fly in – fly out employment arrangements in the mining industry today, it is extraordinary that Melbourne was overlooked as a potential source of mining engineering talent,” said Debra Stirling, Newcrest’s Executive General Manager, People and Communications.

“Monash has a great reputation for producing high quality, well-rounded and practical engineering graduates.  Monash also offers a leadership development component that is unique among Australian engineering schools.  So if we are seeking high quality mining engineers, where better to look?” Ms Stirling said.

Monash is ideally placed to establish a flagship Division of Mining and Resources Engineering.  The Faculty of Engineering is renowned for the quality of its teaching and strength in engineering research. Monash has existing strengths in periphery mining areas such as geosciences, risk and reliability assessments, and railway technologies. 

By leveraging and drawing on these existing strengths, Monash will quickly become a key provider of mining and resources engineering education and research. The Division will be based at the University’s Clayton campus, with opportunities to link into the campuses in Malaysia, India and China – a factor that helped attract MMG. 

“Monash has the reputation to attract the best students,” said Mr Michelmore.

“Within a couple of years, Monash will be graduating some of finest mining engineering graduates in Australia, with postgraduate students emerging from China and India.  This will go somewhere to filling the future gap for qualified mining engineers – here and overseas.”

The Division aligns with MMG’s strategies.

“MMG is a Melbourne-based, growth company, listed in Hong Kong and supported by a major Chinese shareholder,” said Mr Michelmore.

“We need a new generation of high calibre mining engineers with a broad international perspective.

“We will also look forward to the opportunity to bring the best talent across Africa and Asia to study near our global head office.”

Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Professor Tam Sridhar AO said that the new Division would bring many benefits.

“The Division of Mining and Resources Engineering will attract high quality students to the mining sector, educate them to the highest standard with a practical focus, and turn them into leaders of the future,” said Professor Sridhar.

“In addition it will provide world leading research, finding collaborative solutions to problems for the mining industry in a timely and cost effective way.”

This benefit was an important factor for Newcrest, who see great potential for research collaborations.

“The new Division will potentially be a catalyst for the development of a thriving mining support industry in Melbourne, much as we have seen in Brisbane and Perth,” said Ms Stirling.

“As Monash’s research capability and reputation extends to mining engineering, we will see increasing linkages and partnerships with companies – large and small – which can utilise and/or support this capability. One thing leads to another, but the research is the foundation.

“In addition, Monash’s existing links with CSIRO can extend into mining research – further expanding the integration with the mining industry.”