The scholarship is the result of a growing awareness among equipment suppliers and mines that something has to be address the looming skills crisis threatening the coal mining industry.
Twenty-one year old Tim Heron, from Sarina near Mackay, was chosen from other regional Queensland students to gain six months international industry experience. This will entail working at both DBT and RAG’s German headquarters and studying at Aachen University of Technology.
The scholarship is an investment by RAG Australia Coal and DBT Australia, in conjunction with the Queensland Government, to foster the skills of students in the Mackay region preparing for careers in mining, said managing director of RAG Australia Coal, Darian Hielscher.
“We hope to facilitate a greater sharing of knowledge and experience between the two countries,” Hielscher said. “There is significant potential for the scholarship to lead to other reciprocal arrangements and stronger trade relations between two of the world’s largest coal producing countries.”
“We are committed to investing in the local community,” general manager of DBT Australia Queensland, Bob Sherack, said. “The scholarship provides a unique opportunity for Tim and future Mackay students to advance their skills at some of the world’s most technologically advanced coal mines and then apply the knowledge to the local coal industry”
Heron is excited about winning the prestigious scholarship and predicted such programs would encourage other Mackay students to consider a career in the coal mining industry.
