Quality education for first mining graduates

As the University of Adelaide's first mining engineering graduates head off to start their careers in mining regions throughout Australia, the quality of their program of study has received national recognition.

Industry-sponsored Mining Education Australia (MEA), which involves the University of Adelaide, has received one of the prestigious 2010 Australian Learning and Teaching Council's (ALTC) national awards at Parliament House in Canberra.

MEA won the Award for Programs that Enhance Learning (Education Partnerships and Collaborations with Other Organisations).

MEA was developed with the support of the Minerals Council of Australia to deliver a common undergraduate program in mining engineering across Australia in response to increased demand for mining industry professionals.

It is an unincorporated joint venture between the University of Queensland, University of New South Wales and Curtin University of Technology. The University of Adelaide started its Mining Engineering undergraduate degree in 2007 and joined MEA as a provisional member in 2008.

"This was great recognition of our involvement in MEA and also the input of the Minerals Council of Australia in providing funding and support to address specific industry recruitment issues," said Professor Martin Lambert, Head of the School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering.

"Congratulations to all our mining staff who have contributed to the success of MEA. It's particularly exciting with our graduates this year heading off to jobs in both the hard rock (iron ore, copper, uranium) and soft rock (coal) areas of Australia."

Also being presented with her Award for Teaching Excellence, announced earlier last month, was Associate Professor Elizabeth Koch (see story in last month's Adelaidean).

Story by Robyn Mills