Mining

The mining industry extracts naturally occurring mineral solids such as coal and ores, liquid minerals such as crude petroleum, and gases such as natural gas.

Activities in mining jobs include underground or open cut mining, dredging, quarrying, well operations or evaporation pans, recovery from ore dumps or tailings as well as other activities (i.e. crushing, screening, washing and flotation). Other major preparation work is also performed at the mine site as part of mining activity, so workers need to work on-site in many jobs, and many fly-in and fly-out (FIFO) to work.

Jobs are mostly located in regional and remote areas, mainly in Queensland and Western Australia.

Employability skills required include information literacy, digital literacy, critical thinking, teamwork and adaptability. Strong digital and technology skills are most often required with many mining companies moving to 'smart' and 'sustainable' mining practices.

Mining jobs often require post-school tertiary or VET qualifications. Some jobs also provide training on-site.