Residents of the Cairns region have the opportunity to explore employment opportunities in the mining and resources sector at a jobs expo next week.

The resources sector was identified by state and local governments as a potential major employer in regional areas, with fly-in, fly-out (FIFO) mining operations.

“We already have around 3000 FIFO mining employees living in our community and there is no reason why we can’t have more local people involved in the resources sector," Cairns Regional Council Mayor Val Schier said.

“This expo will be a chance to find out what jobs are available, what qualifications or experience they require and how to get the relevant training.

“At the same time, Council is working closely with Advance Cairns to explore new training opportunities and to keep those communication avenues with the big employers open.”

The Work for Queensland Mining and Gas Jobs Expo will provide jobseekers with direct access to representatives from mining, gas and construction companies, training providers, career consultants, recruitment companies and government agencies.

“There are plenty of skilled people in the Cairns region and this expo will help match those skills to job vacancies,” Cr Schier said.

Many of Australia’s major resource companies will have a presence at the expo, including Xstrata, Rio Tinto, Thiess, Arrow, Bechtel, Santos, QGC and Origin.

The Work for Queensland Mining and Gas Jobs Expo will be held at the Cairns Convention Centre on Wednesday, November 2, from 9.30am.

For more information or to register as an attendee, visit www.opportunities.qld.gov.au or call 1800 773 048.

Editor's Comments: The mining industry appears to be the go-to guy for many people in terms of finding full time work which pays a decent salary. With our community continuing to battle tooth and nail it must seem like an attractive option. I do wonder, however, about the effect on families with the two-weeks on, one week off policy. It must be a hard decision for families to face in times of economic uncertainty. Bring on new industry development in our region.

Let us know your thoughts on the issue.