So you are considering Mine
Surveying as a career option, a challenging and rewarding career
with great opportunities. The following information is a brief
introduction on how to become qualified as a surveyor and progress
towards recognition as a Registered or Authorised Mining surveyor.
The survey manning at a typical mine site includes a qualified
mining surveyor who in New South Wales, Queensland and Western
Australia is also required to be Registered/Authorised by the
statutory surveying authority in that state (more on that later); An
assistant or assistants who may be progressing towards achieving
registration/authorisation and a trainee or graduate who is studying
or training to later become a mining surveyor. Each position
requires a higher level of educational and practical experience.
There are many avenues to commencing a career in mining surveying.
Traineeships for school leavers or young relatively inexperienced
surveyors, entry level jobs requiring surveying but not necessarily
mining experience and Graduate programs offered by many of the
larger mining companies. Positions are typically advertised in
local, regional and national newspapers and range in locations from
major regional centres to remote operations where access is
primarily by aircraft (fly in, fly out). Salary packages for
surveyors are generally more attractive when compared to non mining
disciplines and are dependant upon qualifications, experience and
the location of the operation.
Studying Surveying
Tertiary surveying education often covers a diverse range of
surveying specialities however graduates from TAFE collages and
Universities who choose mining surveying as a career typically gain
mining surveying knowledge from practical exposure at a mine,
adapting the techniques learnt from TAFE/university to the mine
environment. Although some educational institutions offer mine
surveying elective subjects in addition to core mining surveying
subject, while others offer well rounded Mine Surveying courses.
Visit our “Where to Study”
http://www.minesurveyors.com.au/wheretostudy.htm page for links
to institutions offering surveying in Australia.
Achieving Registration/Authorisation as a Mining Surveyor
Mining takes place in every State and Territory in Australia by open
cut and underground mining methods, extracting resources ranging
from mineral sands, rock for road base, coal, tin, copper, zinc,
gold, uranium and many others. Each state is responsible for
regulating the mining which takes place and for setting the
standards to which mining must occur. This includes the surveying
and drafting standards for mining surveys and for the preparation of
mine plans. In New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia,
the supervising surveyor at each mine must be assessed as competent
to fulfil this role by holding a recognised tertiary qualification,
meeting the specified minimum amount of experience in the mining
industry, completing project assessments and in some cases, passing
written examinations. Successful completion of this process enables
the surveyor to be registered/authorised as a Mining Surveyor in
that state.
The process for gaining the statutory qualification
Although mining is conducted in every state and territory of
Australia, not all states require mining surveyors to have statutory
qualifications ie Registration/Authorisation
New South Wales
In New South Wales, mines are required to use a Registered Mining
Surveyor to carry out surveys and prepare plans of the mine. The
process to become a Registered Mining Surveyor, firstly requires a
surveyor to meet a number of criteria including holding an approved
educational Qualification (Minimum of 3 year degree), minimum mining
surveying experience and pass a number of assessments some of which
include the completion of a specified project. These assessments are
carried out by the Board of Surveying and Spatial Information
(BOSSI) and the successful candidate will be granted a certificate
of Competency as either 'unrestricted' for opencut and underground
surveying or 'Opencut' for opencut surveying only. Registration of
the Surveyor is the final step and is again granted by BOSSI under
the Surveying Act 2002, however registration is required to be
renewed annually by paying the prescribed fee and meeting the
necessary Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirement.
For further information visit the Board of Surveying and Spatial
Information website:
www.bossi.nsw.gov.au
Queensland
Queensland has similar requirements to NSW, where individuals are
required to obtain a certain level of training and practical
assessment of a project they have developed. Surveyors are to
register with the Surveyors Board of Queensl;and (SBQ) as a graduate
after completing the course of study (a minimum 3 year university
course). After registration as a Graduate Surveyor, the surveyor
applies to the SBQ to enter a Competency Training Agreement (CTA),
between himself/herself, a supervising surveyor (generally their
supervisor at work), and the SBQ. During this CTA (approx. 2 years),
the surveyor gathers a portfolio of evidence in the form of Career
Episode Reports (CER’s), that prove he/she has gained competence in
the elements of each unit of the competency framework.
Additionally a Professional
Assessment Project (PAP) is required to be submitted to the SBQ for
assessment. A PAP is to be decided upon and an application and a
project proposal is to be submitted to the Board for approval. Once
approval has been granted the Graduate surveyor can start the PAP as
detailed in the proposal. Upon completion of the PAP by the Graduate
Surveyor the report is submitted to the Board for assessment.
Final assessment is completed through an interview process with the
SBQ.
Similarly to NSW, QLD registrations
are renewed annually and a fee payable. CPD is not a requirement in
QLD but a system of auditing exists whereby 10% of all surveyors are
randomly audited each year, are asked to prove that they have
maintained experience and knowledge as per the elements identified
by the board. This is done so by means of the CERs.
For further information visit the Surveyors Board of Queensland for
more details:
http://www.surveyorsboard.com.au
Western Australia
Western Australia requires surveyors who make and draw surveys to be
'Authorised Mine Surveyors' this authority is granted by the Mines
Survey Board under the Mines Safety and Inspection Act 1994 to
candidates who hold a recognised Degree or Diploma and who have met
the mine surveying experience requirements. Authorised Mine
Surveyor’s certificates are granted as either Grade 1, allowing
surveyors to supervise work in underground and opencut mines or as
Grade 2 allowing surveyors to supervise work in open cut mines only.
Further Information on Authorised Mine Surveyors can be found on the
Department of Mines and Petroleum website:
http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au
Role of the Australian Institute of Mining Surveyors
AIMS is a professional body representing the interests of Mining
Surveyors and strives to support each mining surveyor in maintaining
their competency by providing opportunities to learn of advances and
development in technologies and legislation through seminars,
workshops and an annual conference. AIMS is also involved in
providing input into how mining surveying is regulated, through
consultation with government and mining industry bodies. AIMS does
not however, assess surveyors for professional competence, but
provides a representative/s to the panel of examiners in some
states.
