George has recently started his apprenticeship at Saraji mine, having grown up around the industry in the local Dysart community.

“I was born in Mackay, but we ended up moving to Dysart because Dad works in mining, so I did my whole education there. I've had two generations in my family involved in the industry so far – my grandfather and then my dad were both in the mines.”

George has found his own path in the industry, pursuing an auto electrical apprenticeship.

“Starting an auto electrical apprenticeship at Saraji is really exciting! I decided to pursue this career because it's going to set me up for the rest of my life, especially with trucks going autonomous, I'll have this trade for a very long time.”

Meeting his new team members and growing his skills is the next focus for George as he embarks on his next steps on site.

“Now, I'm most looking forward to completing the apprenticeship. I feel like it'd be a big achievement, especially over these four years, as well as making good new connections with all the tradies and everyone out there at the mines.”

With this year’s apprentice class having more female than male apprentices for the third year running, George has enjoyed seeing the shift happening in the industry.

“The diversity in this class has been great – more females being recruited out at the mines is a very good thing that's happening, especially considering what the past was like – it’s great that we’re becoming more inclusive.”

“All in all, the class of 2023 has been a great experience. I've made a lot of friends and a lot of connections that I'll have for a very long time. It’s also been a very broad selection of things we get to learn, which is a great starter as we head out to the mines.”