Modern mining offers career opportunities for all

Popular culture’s view of mining bears little resemblance to the reality of how 21st Century mines operate. Technology has revolutionised how we work. This, plus wider societal changes, means that an industry once seen as a men-only sector, now offers equal opportunities.

Over the past decade Dalradian has employed men and women in all areas of our work, from exploration and environmental protection to senior management. And as women have made strides in other traditionally male industries, such as manufacturing, engineering, construction and agri-food, new opportunities have also opened up in mining.

As a new mine, we are starting with a clean sheet; there is no pre-existing gender imbalance to overcome.

Plus, the evidence from countries such as Sweden – the EU’s leading mining nation with a long-established mining sector – is that women are making significant in-roads into mining careers. At some of the large Swedish mining firms, such as Boliden and LKAB, almost 25% of employees are now female while at Zinkgruvan, half of this year’s summer temps were female.

 

Equal Opportunities

Closer to home, the current President of the Irish Mining & Quarrying Society is Nicola Nixon, a mine engineer with Navan-based Tara Mines whilst Dalradian’s Geology and Exploration Manager is Emma Brosnan who has worked on mine projects across three different continents. In her experience:

“Mining offers long-term career opportunities in disciplines such as geology, engineering or environmental science to name but a few. It’s an exciting, challenging and fast-paced career. Whilst traditionally seen as a male dominated industry, this is changing, and there are now equal opportunities for everyone. I’d encourage any woman to consider pursing STEM subjects and working in mining. If you’re a hard worker and good at your job, gender isn’t a barrier.”

For more information about our career opportunities visit dalradian.com