Leighton Contractors: Graduate mining engineer

By Zsa-Zsa Bowie Wilson

Leighton Contractors graduate mining engineer, Chelsea Briggs, got her first taste of engineering at a very early age.

While most kids were watching Saturday morning cartoons Ms Briggs and her brother would be out on a construction site.

“I was five-years-old when Dad, who also used to work for Leighton’s as an engineer, started taking my brother with him. I used to love looking at the huge machines,” she recalled.

The 22-year-old’s grandfather, uncle, and brother are also engineers so the decision to study civil engineering at Melbourne’s Monash University was an easy one.

“It also helped that I was good at maths and science rather than English,” she revealed.

It was during her second year at university that her brother, who also works for the construction and mining firm, suggested she apply to the company for work experience.

“He gave me the number of a guy he had recommended me to, apparently they needed people for a mining project in Queensland,” Ms Briggs said.

“At the time I was keen to move away from civil engineering and try out mining engineering.

“I also wanted to work for a company where there were options to work in both the mining and construction industry and in different parts of Australia and even Asia.”

Ms Briggs flew to Leighton Contractors head office in Brisbane for an interview.

“I was asked about what I was doing at uni, whether I was comfortable working off site and being away from home,” she said.

“They offered me vacation work for the summer of 2007 to 2008 at Peak Town, an open cut coalmine in Central Queensland.”

She recalled her first impression of the mine site

“The environment was so bizarre ““ just this big hole in the middle of nowhere.”

Ms Briggs was assigned to monitoring costs and doing production reporting and on the back of her performance was sponsored by Leighton Contractors through her third and fourth year of university.

The organisation also continued her vacation work through subsequent university holidays and signed her up to a graduate position.

Having just finished university she is now working full time for Leighton Contractors and has commenced the company’s graduate development training.

The two year program covers everything from safety, health and environment, mine planning and surveying to mining operations, such as shock blasting and bulk haul operations, and leadership and management.

“There is a lot of support from Leighton’s to help you complete the program,” Ms Briggs said.

“They book the courses and fly you to whichever city they are taking place in and also make sure you get the practical experience on the job.

“Every three months I sit down with the graduate coordinator and my manager to make sure I’m on track,” she explained.

To date she has now worked on three mines.

The other two coal operations include Broadmeadow, an underground mine also in Central Queensland and Sonoma, the open cut mine she is currently working on in Collinsville, 1200 kilometres north of Brisbane.

“I find the job right now so interesting, you get to see the whole process of mining and washing the coal and the logistics of transporting it off to China and Japan,” she said.

“I’m particularly interested in the money side and all the costings.”

Although she loves the opportunities and exposure that working as a mining engineer allow her, she says moving state and being away from friends and family can be hard.

“My boyfriend is still back in Melbourne, so we catch up in Sydney or Brisbane once a month,” she said.

“I rent a house in Collinsville, which is the mining town near here.

“Everyone living there is in the industry, which means that your colleagues become your friends.”

“Luckily that’s one of the best things about Leighton’s the people are fantastic.”