Unlocking Potential - Fortescue Metals Group Ltd

A Red Dirt ‘Vacation’ – Ashleigh Freeman’s
Fortescue story
including attending various HR
meetings and participating in
business development discussions in
order to become an active, engaged
member of the HR team.
“The Fortescue Vacation
Student Program provided
opportunities for current
university students to
complete paid, full time
work at Perth, Port Hedland,
Cloudbreak, Christmas Creek
and Solomon to supplement
their studies.
Students worked in various
departments, with most completing
projects to assist the business. These
projects varied from employee
engagement, to absenteeism on site
and cycle times for ore production.
I completed vacation work in the
Human Resources Department
at Cloudbreak over the 2011-12
summer period. During my time
on site, I completed a project
on absenteeism at Cloudbreak,
as well as receiving a number
of development opportunities
26
The vacation student program
was valuable to me because it
allowed me to transfer theoretical
knowledge from my university
course into practical, real world work
that actually affected the business.
It provided me an opportunity to
actively participate in a work team
while gaining opportunities to see
the wider business.
I rode in a dump truck, explored the
ore processing facility and presented
to both crews and supervisors on
my work. Other vacation students
were given the opportunity to work
with contractors, to do night shift,
to visit different sites (such as Port
and Christmas Creek) and some very
lucky ones even got to press the
button on a blast!
Great friendships were formed
throughout vacation work, facilitated
mainly by our standing appointment
to meet at ‘our’ table each night
after dinner to discuss our days over
a cold drink. We banded together
and faced extreme heat, cyclones,
killer bugs, snakes and mice, as well
as the expanse of red dirt that gets
EVERYWHERE.
I have secured a Trainee Advisor
role with Fortescue in the Human
Resources department. Other
vacation students have secured
roles in various areas of the business,
such as Pit Technicians, Graduates,
Administrators and Officers –
allowing them to continue on their
Fortescue journey. Those who
returned to university to complete
further studies can now apply their
real world experience to their studies
and hopefully return in future years.
I’m extremely lucky to have had
the Fortescue experience through
my vacation work, and to continue
working at Cloudbreak. It was an ideal
way to spend the summer and get my
foot in the proverbial mining door.”