Mining Magazine > Panorama > Gemcom supports MEA engineering programme

Gemcom has announced its support of the Mining Education Australia (MEA) engineering programme. MEA is a national education joint venture between the four major mining education providers in Australia: Curtin University, the University of New South Wales, the University of Queensland and the University of Adelaide.

Gemcom recently delivered two-day Gemcom Minex training sessions to final year mining engineering students at all four MEA member universities. The training included an overview of Gemcom and Minex, as well as practical sessions to provide specific Minex training. Gemcom’s training sessions are designed to equip students with the skills they need to join the mining industry, familiarising them with technology and giving them an edge in finding employment after graduation.

Ben Farquharson, director of Gemcom’s Minex business unit, said: “We were very pleased to offer Minex training to MEA students. The global mining industry has become very small in terms of the size of the talent pool, so it is imperative that we play our part in educating students in the benefits of world class mine planning software specifically designed for coal. We want to ensure tomorrow’s industry professionals know how the theory they are learning is applied in the real world with the software they will be using when they enter the workforce. With software skills in heavy demand, it’s a win-win for the students and their future employers.”

Dr Andrew Jarosz, MEA program leader and mine surveying programme coordinator for Curtin University, said: “The students have benefited greatly from the expertise shared and have ranked this training session highest in comparison to similar events.”

In addition to providing free-of-charge training sessions for MEA students, Gemcom has supported MEA by offering user support and training to university professors and providing academic software licences for the suite of Gemcom products.