The Professional Certificate program developed by The University of Queensland (UQ) and Curtin University has been enthusiastically taken up by mining interns and professionals, boasting 4,000+ enrolments already and drawing industry praise.
After its launch in late 2020, BHP quickly included the Minerals and Mining in a Sustainable World course as a vital component of its 2021 Australian intern program.
Dr Elaine Wightman, Transformational Learning Group Lead at the Sustainable Minerals Institute, said that the industry take-up has been so encouraging.
“It’s terrific that all of the BHP interns are doing our course. This really demonstrates how SMI is responding to the industry’s needs for an increasing, and increasingly skilled, workforce,” she said.
“At the same time, we know that we are meeting the demands for education that is more flexible, within the rapidly changing context of modern mining.”
The program, called Foundations of Modern Mining, was created by a partnership of universities, industry advisors and sponsorship from the Minerals Council of Australia.
In just over one year, it has demonstrated its industry and global applicability—drawing more than 4,000 enrolled students from over 150 countries.
The program increases students’ understanding of the modern mining industry in Australia and opens pathways to postgraduate study for people who are working within the industry.
The three courses that UQ leads are already teaching students numbering: 2000+ (Minerals and Mining in a Sustainable World), 600+ (Leadership and Diversity in Mining) and 1300+ (Health, Safety and Wellness in Mining).
The project was initially conceived as a way to help maintain the skills pipeline in the resources sector. From that goal, the teams produced high-quality, easily accessible courses that result in micro-credentials and access to expert knowledge for students.
After piloting the six courses, industry representatives gave feedback through a consultative process—giving UQ and Curtin researchers the chance to refine the course and learning experience.
Media: Gillian Ievers g.ievers@uq.edu.au, 0438 121757
