FUTURE MINERS VISIT MINE FUTURE MINE

Mining Engineering students from Camborne School of Mines had a glimpse of the future during a familiarisation visit down South Crofty Mine last week.

Lecturers on the course based at the Tremough Campus, Falmouth, felt a trip down a real mine for the first year students would be an excellent taste of exactly what a career in mining will involve and the owners of South Crofty were happy to oblige.

Managing director of the mine, Kevin Williams, said it had been a pleasure to play host to these miners of the future.

He said: “It’s as useful for us to have contact with this industry’s future engineers as it is for them to see a mine, especially one like South Crofty that is currently being refurbished and brought right up to date with modern technology.

“I am also acutely aware that it’s only a matter of months before we will need to employ people with the skills these youngsters are learning. It’s quite possible I might just have met some of South Crofty’s future workforce.”

The students were given a tour of the mine’s surface before being taken down the decline and deep into the mine. As well as describing how the mine was worked in the past mining engineer Keith Russ and mine electrician Paul Oldfield, who led the tour, explained what work is currently taking place at the mine to prepare it for full tin extraction in the future.

The students saw the recently installed tram-lines that run past the old stopes, and had the opportunity of seeing the technology they have studied in theory working in practice.

“It’s amazing,” said Jersey-born Harry Bonn. “It’s only the second time I’ve been underground but it’s inspired me to fulfil my ambition of becoming a mining engineer. I would really like to work at South Crofty when I qualify in a couple of years.”

Local girl, Eileen Rowe, explained that she had always been interested in mining and although she had toyed with the idea of taking a degree in geology she had chosen a B.Eng in Mining Engineering after discovering there were greater job opportunities and earning potential in mining.

Fellow student Dave Johnson from Cambridge agreed. He said: “I went to an introductory talk on a future in mining when I was considering what course to choose. It was given by a miner who said he had started his career with a mortgage but mining means he doesn’t have a mortgage any more so I definitely want a job in this industry, and after today I think I’d like to work here at South Crofty.”

30 October 2006