WARSAW, Nov 17, 2011 (AFP) - - Australia's Mastermyne Group has turned to Poland in a drive to find 900 new coalminers for collieries in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, recruitment firm Randstad said Thursday.
"This is a large-scale project running over three years. Our Australian client aims to recruit some 300 miners a year," Randstad spokeswoman Malgorzata Gorska told AFP.
"Interest has already outpaced our client's expectations, with 300 people answering our advertisements," she added.
Mining remains one of the top industrial sectors in Poland, employing over 100,000 people in the nation of 38 million, which relies on coal to generate more than 90 percent of its electricity.
"The advantage of Polish miners is that they are well-qualified and in general operate the same machinery as used in Australian mines, or similar models, although that used 'Down Under' is more modern," said Gorska.
There could be a sticking point for would-be emigrant miners, she noted.
"The problem is knowledge of English," she said. "They need a basic level."
But the Australians aim to overcome that hurdle as "the employer guarantees improvement classes on site," she explained.
The West Australian
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