The workshop brought together media practitioners within the Eastern Region and was among many other things aimed at equipping journalists and other media practitioners with adequate understanding of the legal, social and other attributes of mining. The two-day event was organized under the theme “Working towards an effective reportage on mining industry within the context of best mining practices and the minerals and mining Act 2006.”

O’Callaghan told The North West Star establishing the school would be another important step to solving skills shortages in the mining industry. She said Queensland’s mines were a good asset for the community and there were “buckets of money” available to drive cooperation between private companies and the Government.

Speaking during a Chamber of Mines dinner that was hosted by African Copper in Francistown last week, he said that despite the predicted double dip recession, skills must always be developed and be available when the recession has passed. “When the industry is back to full production capacity, so should the skills be available to match this,” he said.

Established in 2008, the unit’s courses have grown as fast as the resources sector. Three years ago, Training and Emergency Management ran three courses a year. This year they are undertaking 12-day courses involving up to 14 participants every six weeks. "We have bookings well into next year," TEM inspector-manager Queensland North Gavin Holden said.

Smith explained, "Our study shows that workers are prepared to improve and expand their skills, but they're not receiving sufficient support to develop those skills. In addition to investing in training, employers will have to become more transparent about their talent requirements and more creative about leveraging the skills they already have within their organizations."

"Safety has to be a culture in which people instinctively act in a safe way," notes the Lesedi website. "That can only happen if the top and middle management of the company live, breathe and champion safe working practices all the time and the people operating machinery are properly trained."

The team from the Ukrainian mining division spent Monday on Bevill State's Sumiton campus. The group, which includes several high-ranking government officials, said they are working to improve the safety of their mines by providing intensive mine safety training, similar to the training provided at Bevill State, for their inspectors and workers.

There will an introduction into Jaw, Cone, Gyratory and Impactor Crushers [in the Mobile Crushing and Screening course], including the use of the manufacturer’s manual and will cover pre-use checks, start-up, manoeuvring and safety hazards, including machine blockages. Machine shutdown and transportation and environmental issues will also be included within the course. [The Light Vehicle training course] offers a comprehensive look at this type of vehicle and the hazards involved with its operation. The course incorporates health and safety legislation, pre-use inspection and provides a detailed look at the machine’s control and their use in a working environment.

With two large air conditioned training rooms built to resemble real workplace conditions such as simulating confined space working conditions, providing electrical switchboards in a realistic setting, and offering a state of the art fire training simulator, a wide range of training courses like mining training are available to make sure that workers and employers are informed, updated, and adhering to the stricter government occupational safety legislation.