It wasn’t a typical Year 10 school day for a group of female high school students on Wednesday March 21, but it was a typical day in the work life of a woman in mining at Alcoa.
More than 30 Year 10 girls from high schools across Rockingham, Kwinana and Cockburn toured Alcoa’s Huntly Mine and Pinjarra Alumina Refinery as part of the Kwinana Industries Council 2018 iWomen Project to explore first-hand the broad range of career options available in the resources sector.
An industry tour is a highlight of the six-day iWomen Project and this year Alcoa hosted the girls, challenging their thinking about women in mining with a day at Huntly bauxite mine site where they climbed a haul pack truck, viewed mining production and rehabilitation.
Mine Dispatch Group Leader Natalie Hutabarat gave the girls a career brief while Mine Dispatcher Kellie Tuia ran them through her typical work day.
“I really enjoyed the day; particularly seeing what Kellie does in the mine dispatch role, that was cool. I didn’t know that type of role existed before today,” Alyssa Smogavec of Baldivis Secondary College said.
The iWomen also toured Pinjarra refinery and visited the Alcoa Discovery Centre in the Pinjarra township where Mechanical Engineer Paula West, together with her baby daughter Karla, urged the girls to join the resources sector as Alcoa’s parental leave and work flexibility provided great support in progressing her career while raising two children.
Alcoa was named an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality for 16 consecutive years by the federal government’s Workplace Gender Equality Agency and is committed to reducing the pay gap, increasing female workforce participation and continuing its efforts in attracting, promoting and retaining women.
The iWomen Project helps to open the eyes and minds of girls to careers in resources and strengthen the future employment prospects of women in the sector.
