Luke Clydesdale
Position: Graduate Mining Engineer
Site: Saraji
I have graduated from the University of Queensland in 2007 with a Bachelors Degree in Mining Engineering. During my time as an undergraduate, I undertook part time work with Macmahon at numerous sites across Australia. This work involved providing site support where required from the Brisbane office, and travelling to site during breaks in UNI semesters. This undergraduate work provided me with a good basis from which to launch my career with Macmahon. I am currently 2 months into my new position as the Graduate Mining Engineer at the Saraji Pre-strip operation in Central Queensland. The 8 and 6 FIFO roster enables me to focus on my work whilst on site, and then enjoy my time off back in Brisbane.
Being a relatively new operation, I have the opportunity to be involved in the current ramp up of equipment and personnel. During this expansion, I will be involved with equipment scheduling, generation of daily dig plans and ensuring that this new equipment is achieving optimal productivity and pre-determined production targets. The chance to operate and gain competencies on a variety of machines is also something I will be working towards over the coming months.
The Macmahon Graduate Program is going from strength to strength with a record number of graduates joining the program this year. I feel that the 6 month rotation of graduates is one of the most appealing aspects of the program. This enables us to work with different sites, commodities and mining methods in a short space of time. Macmahon is committed to developing well rounded engineers by providing each graduate with a senior engineer as a mentor for the duration of the program. Mentors are there to provide guidance and advice as well as assisting in developing a career path within the industry.
There is a strong focus from management to develop well rounded, competent engineers which can be utilised in all aspects of the company. This is evident in the commitment shown by all levels of management to your development, through a well laid out program and frequent consultation. My path through this program is able to be adapted to suit my preferences and the requirements of Macmahon.
I believe this is the graduate program to join if you enjoy travel, a wide range of experiences and fast paced learning.
Position: Graduate Engineer
Site: Eaglefield
I graduated from the University of Queensland in 2006 with a Bachelor of Mining Engineering and commenced work at Macmahon’s Eaglefield Coal mine. My current responsibilities see me working in all aspects of open pit mining. With Macmahon being a smaller company, they cannot afford for a site Engineer to specialize in one specific area so the ability to adapt and understand mining was really important. My work sees me working in long, medium and short term planning, Drill and Blast, Dump construction/design/Rehabilitation, technical design and various projects on site. Macmahon uses all relevant mining software and sent me on all training courses to ensure that I fully understood their function. Any training course that would benefit me in my position I am allowed to go on which is a really big help.
At present I am scheduling 4 Excavators, 3 Dozers, Coal feed to a wash plant, a drill, and two blast teams. The job is very challenging and the learning curve has been steep but I now have a strong understanding of open pit Coal mining. I am FIFO of Mackay and I can leave work behind and get really good time off in Brisbane.
Macmahon has a really strong focus on graduates and you are not a number the upper corporate management knows your name and has a plan for you. At present I will do 18 months in coal then move to Western Australia and finish a year in Iron Ore. Macmahon has been committed to developing well rounded mining engineers and will send them across commodities and even disciplines with chances to do Civil work.
I believe that Macmahon is the best choice for a graduate program as they do not treat you like a number and as a company they are committed to your development. There is a corporate focus on your development to become a well experienced, well rounded engineer that can be thrown into any situation and know what to do. The opportunity within the company to progress is also strong with management willing to give you a go at most projects.
