Resources and Infrastructure

The Resources and Infrastructure industry contains sub-sectors that include civil construction, coal and metalliferous mining, quarrying and drilling.

Starting as an apprentice or trainee is a great way to start employment in these sectors. There are many paths you can take advantage of once employed in the resources and infrastructure industry, with upskilling common. You may have options to run your own business, manage large infrastructure projects, or even become CEO of a mining company!

What does this industry cover?

Civil construction includes those working in areas such as plant operations, pipeline construction, and road, rail and tunnel construction.

Coal and metalliferous mining includes open cut and underground mining. Australia has mining for both black and brown coal. Metalliferous mining includes iron ore, copper, nickel, gold, silver, zinc, uranium, and mineral sands.

Employees in the drilling sector could work offshore or onshore, doing surface or underground drilling. You may drill for petroleum and natural gas, minerals including coal, or water wells.

For those working in a quarry you could be engaged in extracting raw materials such as sand, rock, gravel and limestone, which are used in the building and construction and civil infrastructure industries.

Job hunting information

Some of the most popular careers in this industry are earth moving plant operators, fitters and turners, miners, drillers and maintenance planners.

It is important to note that if you want to work in the mining sector you may need to move to specific locations, or be prepared to fly in and fly out (FIFO). For example, black coal is predominately mined in Queensland and New South Wales, while brown coal is found in Victoria.

Coal and metalliferous mining are dominated by large businesses, whereas drilling and quarrying are made up of small and large operators. Civil construction is a mixture of both: small businesses which tend to service the residential sector and bigger companies that manage large scale infrastructure projects.

Information for further research

Industry information is published by peak level associations, government and major employers. Accessing industry association sites, including member lists, is a good way of building up an understanding of an industry. Visiting employer websites and looking for careers or employment menus helps identify how employers recruit and the skills they are recruiting.