Like working outdoors ... Become a Mobile Equipment Operator!
Forget what you see in the movies - working with chainsaws is no joke.
It's a responsible and skilled job that needs someone with a level head and a good eye.
If working in the bush using high-tech machinery sounds like your thing, then a career in the Harvesting and Haulage sector is ideal.
Harvesting and haulage is about felling trees and taking them to sawmills. There are plenty of opportunities to operate machinery, such as skidders, dozers, feller bunchers, chippers, mechanical harvesters, excavators and loaders. The machines these days cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and need computers to help you operate them properly. If you want to work with machines costing as much as a house, this is the sector for you. Whether you're wielding a chainsaw or driving a log truck, this sector offers a career with ‘grunt'.
What jobs are there?
Jobs typically involve outdoor work at the Certificate II or III qualification (combining on- and off-the-job training), including:
Harvesting trees manually or mechanically
Operating chainsaws and other machinery
Operating vehicles (e.g. dozer, excavator)
Constructing roads and log-landings
Grading sawlogs
Driving trucks
Rehabilitating harvested areas.
Some jobs require Certificate IV or higher, such as:
Resource Assessment
Harvesting Operations Manager
Forest Regrowth Manager
DID YOU KNOW?
Tree felling is done very selectively so that we don't run out of trees in Australia.
Each year, only 1% of available trees are harvested, allowing many years of forest regrowth to occur.
The industry is very supportive of people who want to better their skills and keep learning. There are many types of jobs, so you can really make a career of it.
Who are the employers?
Hardwood and softwood harvesting contractors
Haulage contractors
Regionally-based maintenance services
Road-building and maintenance contractors.
To read about career & jobs in the other sectors of this industry click on the articles below:
Who says it’s only for the blokes? “I hate being stuck in one place”, says Annette Signal. True to her word, she has used her career in harvesting and haulage to work all around Australia.
“I’ve worked in Tumut in NSW, Kangaroo Island in SA, the Strathbogie Ranges in Victoria, and as a contractor... more »
