The IQA study tour was attended by 11 members. Image: IQA
The next generation of quarry workers travelled to the United Kingdom to learn more about the industry and attend the global event Hillhead.
If nine Australians, one New Zealander and a South African walked into a quarry in the United Kingdom; you could be forgiven for thinking it was the start of a bad joke.
Instead, 11 intrepid travellers from the three countries came together earlier this year for the study tour of a lifetime to enhance their knowledge about quarrying and related industries.
As part of the two-week trip, the group, mainly comprised of the IQA Young Member network members, visited industry sites and learned about the latest equipment and methods used in the UK sector.
“It was awesome to meet everyone there, and I think it was clear from day one that everyone was a massive nerd about rocks basically and holes in the ground,” co-tour organiser and concrete plants manager at Hanson Australia Keelan McNulty told Quarry.
McNulty and Andrew Britton, the IQA Young Member Network coordinator for South Australia, came together to create the ultimate study tour experience.
Study tours had been rare during and since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the pair were eager to ensure the next generation could take advantage of this worldwide opportunity.
The group visited several different quarry sites across the UK. Image: IQA
Using McNulty’s previous experience in the UK and the input from the Institute of Quarrying UK branch, the pair developed an incredible range of experiences for the group, including site tours, time at Hillhead 2024, and visits to the National Stone Centre in Derby. The group also took in several “super quarries” in England’s southwest and midlands.
“We had known individually that these tours used to be a thing, but COVID had just stopped them, and we were both really keen to get them back on and make it a young members thing,” McNulty told Quarry.
“We had absolutely no idea where to start or what to do, but it was a trial by fire, and luckily, not too many mistakes were made. We started probably 18 months before the trip, and I think Andrew had also been putting feelers out before that.
“I definitely had a few ideas going into of sites to see that either I hadn’t been to but really wanted to see or I had been to, and I thought they were awesome, but the Institute of Quarrying in the UK was really helpful.
“They balanced out my weird and wonderful list that included quarries in the mountains of North Wales and Glensanda … they were able to focus us and help create a great trip.”
On the third day of the trip, the tour group headed to Hillhead 2024 as the global showcase returned to Buxton in the UK. The three-day event brought together members worldwide to see the latest innovations, equipment and knowledge used in the quarrying and construction materials sectors.
After the global quarrying community descended onto Hillhead Quarry for the 2024 event, organisers have said it was one for the history books.
According to organisers, the 2024 event was the most visited edition in terms of volume of visits over the three days and visitors spending more time at the show than ever before. In total, there were 26,626 visits across the event, an eight per cent increase from 2022.
The study tour group was hosted by the Institute of Quarrying UK branch, with Institute of Quarrying UK president Viv Russell mentioning their lunch together as one of his highlights from the show, writing: “Hosting the study tour for the Institute of Quarrying Australia (IQA) was a highlight, as they were amazed by Hillhead’s scale and the industry’s passion in the UK.”
While McNulty had been to a previous Hillhead showcase, he said the 2024 iteration was impressive for the group.
“It was awesome to see they were loving the trip, but I think Wednesday [at Hillhead] blew them away all over again. There were automated dump trucks, the largest mobile crusher in the world, and hundreds and hundreds of exhibitors,” he said.
“There’s nothing like that in Australia; there are some mining expos, but nothing specifically for quarrying. It was awesome; everyone was super excited.
“At some point, I broke away from everyone else and started looking at concrete trucks, but everyone else was just obsessed with seeing the mobile equipment exhibits.”
Aside from the new equipment on display, McNulty believed the Australian quarrying sector could learn plenty from their UK counterparts.
As part of Hillhead, two schools were taken through the event to showcase the opportunities available within quarrying.
They saw five exhibitors and had a question-and-answer session with employees from Tarmac about how to break into the industry. Wirtgen Group, CDE Group, SMT GB, and EPC-UK all showcased different aspects to the students on their tour.
The group visited Torr Works, the second-largest quarry in the UK. Image: IQA
Russell wrote after the event that: “Seeing strong support from many companies for the Minerals Matter School tour on Thursday was heartening, introducing a new generation of potential talent to our sector.”
McNulty said a similar approach could help bring younger workers to quarrying.
“The UK really shows up the Australian industry in terms of engaging young people early on, just in terms of community engagement, hosting open days with the public and going to schools and getting people to join management apprenticeships or vocational apprenticeships in the industry,” he said.
“When you compare a site over there, you go to a site, and the quarry manager is introducing his assistant, and there’s people that are learning the ropes, and they tend to be young people, and I think that is missing from quarries over here.
“That’s why I think the Young Members Network is really important … I think it is really key for networking and learning more about other sites, getting out of your bubble and sharing knowledge.
“In the tour, it was amazing how much knowledge was shared by talking about sites and experiences, and I think everyone came away from it feeling a lot more confident, which I think is important.”
The IQA Young Member Network is designed to provide early-career workers in the extractive industries with networking and education opportunities. It is open to any IQA member 35 years of age and younger who wants to access support and development to forge a successful career within the industry.
McNulty said the Young Member Network benefited young workers within the industry.
“You can kind of have your site, and sometimes, you don’t often leave it to see other sites or meet other people, but I think that is what is great about IQA site visits, conferences and meetings for that kind of networking,” he said.
“It was awesome. Everyone is still in contact now, and people are meeting up when they’re near each other.
“The highlight for me was seeing how much everyone enjoyed the trip, and it took a really long time and a huge amount of hours to put together, but I absolutely loved it.” •
For more information about the IQA Young Member Network committee, visit quarry.com.au
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