Students from Waihi College, along with one student from Paeroa College, recently celebrated their completion of the 2025 Mining Skills Development Course at the OceanaGold Education Centre in Waihi.
This year, twenty-four students participated in the course, which included a mix of Year 12 and 13 students. The programme provided an opportunity to explore the underground mining environment, develop manual driving skills through both simulator and real-life instruction, and, for the first intake, complete first aid training. A new Working at Heights module was also introduced later in the year for the second cohort. The courses are designed to develop transferable skills applicable to careers in mining or other industries.
During the celebration, Michael van Anen, OceanaGold’s General Manager, joined the students to share his mining journey and congratulate them on their achievements. He presented each student with a certificate summarising the range of courses they completed with OceanaGold Waihi throughout the year. Michael spoke about the variety of roles within the mining industry from accountants, environmental scientists, and engineers to underground workers and mill operators, highlighting the many pathways available.
While some students will return to Waihi College to complete Year 13 in 2026, others are preparing to study fields such as engineering, environmental science, surveying, and mechanical engineering. Michael and Josh Smith (OceanaGold Communications Advisor) also spoke about OceanaGold’s paid internship opportunities, which students can apply for from their second year of tertiary study onwards.
OceanaGold looks forward to staying connected with these students as they continue their studies, explore career options, and take their next steps into the workforce in 2026. With over twenty percent of OceanaGold Waihi’s workforce having come through Waihi College, it’s fantastic to be able to invest in the future of both the gold mine and the local community through lifelong skills and training.
