WorkPac Wonder: Q&A with Jaimee McKinley
Batchfire Resources supports more than 1,250 families, directly and indirectly, as the primary employer within the Callide Valley region and WorkPac Site Manager Jaimee McKinley is pivotal in maintaining our incredible local workforce.
WorkPac is one of Australia’s leading workforce solutions businesses, with more than 25 years of experience in industries like mining, construction and engineering, making them a great partner for us at Batchfire.
While we employ a large portion of our workforce directly, the team at WorkPac plays an important role in assisting us with our new-to-industry, ex-defence and skilled operator recruitment.
Jaimee looks after the recruitment activity for WorkPac at Batchfire, recently moving to an on-site office to further assist with placements into the future. We sat down with her to find out more about how her role at WorkPac positively impacts Batchfire.
Thanks for catching up, Jaimee. How long have you been with WorkPac and how did you end up working with Batchfire?
I’ve been with WorkPac for five years, based out of the Biloela office. I began my career as the office receptionist before transitioning into the Site Manager role in May 2022, which I’ve been doing for just over two-and-a-half years.
Since then, I’ve been managing operations for WorkPac at Batchfire’s Boundary Hill and Callide (Southern) mining areas. I have also been a part of WorkPac’s Mobilisation and Recruitment teams, which has given me great knowledge to be able to succeed in this role.
That’s great to hear! What do you enjoy most about the role and what achievement are you most proud of?
What I enjoy most about my role is the opportunity to interact with the operators on site. It’s incredibly rewarding to see them take pride in their work and excel at what they love doing every day.
The achievement I’m most proud of is being named Site Manager of the Year in 2023 at WorkPac’s Annual awards. That year was our largest recruitment effort on site, where we successfully employed seven intakes, bringing on around 50 new-to-industry (NTI) candidates and 239 skilled operators.
I strive to be someone my employees can trust and rely on to ensure their employment is as smooth as possible. There are many challenging days within this role, although I have always said the ‘good outweighs the bad’ and that’s because of the people I work with daily!
Those are some impressive numbers. How does it feel to have placed so many people at Callide Mine over the years?
It feels surreal when I reflect on the time and effort invested in each candidate. It’s incredibly fulfilling to see them succeed after going through our rigorous intake process and knowing that they are contributing to the success of the Callide Mine is very rewarding.
Given your experience in this sector, what advice would you give to people considering a career in mining?
A career in mining can be incredibly rewarding, yet it requires hard work, resilience, sacrifice and a commitment to safety. No two days are the same.
My advice would be to remain open-minded and take the time to learn as much as possible – whether it’s from the people you work with, the training opportunities available, or the experience you gain on the job.
That’s great advice and you’re certainly right about no two days being the same! How do you see 2025 panning out and what is your focus for the year?
Well, 2025 is shaping up to be a significant year for local new-to-industry candidates, with plans to recruit six intakes, totalling 48 new employees across the year.
While recruitment has slowed slightly, due to WorkPac successfully meeting Batchfire’s manning requirements, our focus remains on continuing to ensure the safety, culture and wellbeing of all employees on site.
It was great chatting, Jaimee. Keep on kicking goals for Workpac and Batchfire!
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