Careers in Mining: A Job Path for All Workers
Tradespeople and university-trained workers alike are required for the mining and mining equipment technology services (METS) sectors.
SUSTAINABILITY: Senior environmental adviser Brooke Topp and community liaison officer Rebecca Meacham inspect rehabilitation progress at the New Acland mine, north-west of Toowoomba in Queensland.
When Brooke Topp enrolled in an environmental science degree, he had no idea he would end up in the mining industry.
He chose a Bachelor of Science, majoring in environment and sustainability, aiming to work in meteorology but then heard about a vacation program at New Hope Group's New Acland Coal through a friend.
"I quickly learnt that yes, you take the resources, but you put the land back to how it was beforehand and, because of the money in mining, you get to do some cool studies on things like koalas, so you are actually contributing to the greater good of the environment," he says.
Topp has been with New Acland Coal, in Queensland, for eight years and is now a senior environmental adviser.
A major focus of his work is the rehabilitation of land after a mine has closed.
Topp works in a team of three but they are currently recruiting for two more people to join the environmental department.
He says there are "plenty of jobs" in the mining industry for people with his background and qualifications.
