There is now less than a week until Australia’s largest mining exhibition starts.
Held at the Sydney Showground at the Sydney Olympic Park, AIMEX brings together miners, manufacturers and everyone in between.
One of the aims of the show is to attract more tradies and those working on the front line of the mines.
“We want to encourage along frontline miners from mining-based regional areas of NSW, such as the Hunter Valley, Illawarra, and Central West – as well as Sydney-based miners who ‘fly-in/fly-out’ to mines in other parts of Australia,” Paul Baker, exhibition director with show organiser Reed Mining Events said.
“We are keen to attract frontline miners, because experience from our other mining events around Australia has shown that these key personnel can be very influential in purchasing decisions.
“For Frontliners, AIMEX is an opportunity to see the latest mining equipment and services on display – including from major manufacturers such as Caterpillar, Hitachi and Atlas Copco – to talk to suppliers about new developments, and learn about the new technology coming through.”
The show will also be used to attract more tradies to the industry.
It will have a careers and training day on the Thursday (September 8), where those skilled trades people considering a career in the industry can find more information and get advice about what opportunities are available.
Some of the larger exhibitors such as Xstrata will also host career information at the event.
“Australia’s mining industry is facing critical skills shortages in the next few years,” said Baker. “This includes equipment-focused trades such as fitters, mechanics, auto-electricians and the like required to keep massive mining equipment operating, as well as electrical, plumbing and building trades to work on mining infrastructure projects.
“AIMEX 2011 in Sydney next week is a once-in-four-year opportunity for tradies to come along and get a lot of first-hand information about the mining industry, how it works, the kinds of equipment and services it uses, and the skills it is looking for.
“We even have support services aimed at fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) mining families, able to give advice on the challenges and benefits for families where the primary breadwinner works on a remote mine for a couple of weeks, then is back home full time for a week or so,” he said.