Mining scholarship winners

The Education Endowment Fund (EEF) of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) has announced the winners of the 2006/07 Rio Tinto/Sir Frank Espie Premium Scholarships.

These are Richard Gelson, Bachelor of Mining Engineering (3rd Year) from the University of New South Wales, and Jennifer Meikle, Bachelor of Engineering (Minerals Process)/Bachelor of Commerce (3rd Year) at the University of Queensland.

The scholarships are generously endowed by Rio Tinto and by the Espie Family, in memory of Sir Frank Espie. Sir Frank Espie made outstanding contributions of leadership, dedication and technical management to the mining industries of Australia and Papua New Guinea and was a distinguished and leading member of The AusIMM for over 65 years. He was a pioneer of large projects in CRA in the 1960s and 1970s and led the way in managing their social impacts. He received numerous Australian and international awards in recognition of his achievements.

A recent survey of minerals sector professionals undertaken by Macquarie Securities and the AusIMM showed 73% of surveyed professionals believing the skills shortage had left their company short staffed and only 16% believing the shortage would even out in the next three years. As a particular boon to new graduates, 70% of respondents thought their employer now pays more for less experienced personnel.