Health & Safety
Angela
Role: National SH&E Manager and mentor / trainer for the MINEX team
Company: Goodman Fielder (PWCS at time of interview)
What attracted you to a career in the minerals industry?
Everything is big. When I first started here I was in charge of $68 million budgets. None of my friends came close to having that level of responsibility. If you want to be given opportunities, and be exposed to big projects, the minerals industry will give you them, and you can take them as far as you want. If you come up with a great idea, there's a good chance it will be supported and you run with it through to fruition. So for me, it's just the opportunities that it provides.
Working for the minerals industry involves working in remote and rural areas doesn't it?
If you'd asked me in university would I like to live in remote Western Australia for five years, in a very isolated town, I might have thought twice. However, after doing it I would recommend it to all our graduates. It is an ideal opportunity to gain some skills that you won't get living in the bigger cities.
What should Year 10 students do to enable them get to where you are today?
If you're a Year 10 student today I see that you really need to have some commitment, some enthusiasm and also be prepared to step outside your comfort zone. What your teachers or your parents might be suggesting to you in Year 10, that's great, take that into account, but also have a look at something completely different. Pick up a paper and look at something other than what you're normally interested in and just do some research into that. You might actually be surprised that there's an area that you may excel in and haven't yet tapped into and haven't been guided into. So I see that as really important.
What do you see as the key skills and personal qualities that young people need to be successful in the Minerals Industry?
You have to be able to communicate, so you need to work on your writing and presentation skills. You need to be able to analyse and interpret things, it's not always black and white with the information that you're given. Most importantly you must be enthusiastic, so jump at opportunities. Someone might present something to you that you previously hadn't really had an interest in, but that may just turn out to be really exciting, so it’s worth trying it.
How relevant do you see the Minerals Industry to young people, and/or everyday life?
When they sit down to their evening meal in their city or they want to go to the movies, they need to remember that all of that stuff is powered by our minerals industry and it just doesn't stop at the light switch or the refrigerator that you open — the industry is highly relevant. It's also how our economy operates. For example, selling coal helps to finance our economy.
