21 June 2005

QPA and IQ promote ‘Careers in Quarrying’ at Hillhead 2005

Following the successful co-operation between The Institute of Quarrying and the Quarry Products Association at Hillhead 2003, the two industry organisations will again be sharing a pavilion at this year’s show.

On the first day of the show, QPA will use the facility to launch its new ‘Hard target’ initiative (see PR 17/05) as part of the ongoing drive to further reduce incidents, injuries and fatalities in the quarrying industry. Following this, the area will be used to host a series of presentations on career opportunities in the industry for groups of visiting schoolchildren that are being sponsored by leading aggregate producers such as Tarmac, Hanson and Aggregate Industries.

The underlying reason for the exercise stems from the fact that the industry is already suffering from a shortage of skilled staff and this situation promises to get progressively worse as a disproportionately high proportion of the workforce - both hourly paid and management - are aged over 50 and will be heading towards retirement over the next few years.

The presentation itself will be based on the CD ‘Your role in rock’ produced by EPIC last year and the presenter will be Mark Osbaldeston who has recently joined the staff of the Institute on full time secondment to teach quarry operations subjects on the DAPS (Doncaster Assisted Private Study) course.

Another attraction for the visiting schoolchildren, who all have to be aged over 16 to comply with site safety rules, is the opportunity to take part in a remote control model driving challenge in specially constructed sand pit in the pavilion. Participants will have to dig sand with a loading shovel and load into weigh-scales in the shortest time to win the prize. This will be followed by a tour of the show under the supervision of sponsoring company guides.

The Institute is also cooperating with the QPA to promote careers in the quarrying industry to young people by making part of the marquee into a lecture theatre and exhibition space. Member companies will invite and sponsor parties of school pupils to take a guided tour of the exhibition and to attend a careers presentation in the marquee.

The pavilion will also be open to visiting members of IQ and QPA and both will be operating information desks providing literature and guidance on the activities of the respective organisations.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. For more information please contact Tim Parry by tel: 0207 9638000 (or 07841 958400 during Hillhead) or e-mail parry@qpa.org.
2. The Quarry Products Association is the principal trade association representing the UK aggregates industry. In England our members produce over 90% of aggregates extracted - sand and gravel and crushed rock as well as other non aggregate minerals such as silica sand, agricultural and industrial lime including limestone, chalk, clay and shale for cement.

If you need any more information, please contact our Press office or return to the News homepage