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Associate Certificate

Cost Estimation for the Resources Industry

Intake commences 17 February 2025

  • 20 PD hours 20 PD hours
  • 100% online 100% online
Associate Certificate

Cost Estimation for the Resources Industry

Intake commences 17 February 2025

  • 20 PD hours 20 PD hours
  • 100% online 100% online

Subscribe now for updates

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Business case to attend

Getting approval to undertake a course can sometimes be a challenge. To assist you in putting together a compelling business case to your manager, we have prepared an email template. It’s easy to use – just copy, fill in the blanks and email to your manager.

Course Schedule

Course dates Virtual classrooms

Course commences: 17 February 2025 

Course closes: 23 March 2025

Module 1: Thursday 20 February, 11.30–13.00 AEDT

Module 2: Thursday 27 February, 11.30–13.00 AEDT

Module 3: Thursday 6 March, 11.30–13.00 AEDT

Module 4: Tuesday 11 March, 11.30–13.00 AEDT

 

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Cost Estimation for the Resources Industry

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Facilitators

Laura Daly

MAusIMM
Principal Mining Consultant, AMC Consultants
Laura has a strong foundation in all areas of business analysis, from strategy through to measuring organisational performance. With demonstrated strengths in financial analysis and benchmarking, she has a comprehensive understanding of the cost drivers of a mining operation. Since joining AMC’s business improvement group in August 2002, Laura has provided the mining cost modelling and revenue components of various Australian and international conceptual, pre-feasibility, and feasibility studies across a range of commodities and mining methods.

Laura has also conducted numerous benchmarking and operational improvement studies which included detailed analysis of productivity and costs of operating underground and open-pit mines. She has also developed value driver trees to model mine to market costs, productivities and value. Prior to joining AMC, Laura gained hands-on experience as a mine geologist in data analysis, problem solving, quality assurance management systems, and managing drilling programs in underground and open pit operations.

Michelle Lawson

FAusIMM
Michelle Lawson Management & Consulting Services Pty Ltd
Michelle has over 30 years of experience in Resources, Infrastructure, and Finance with leading global organisations. Her expertise spans high-level financial advisory, ESG, risk management, and board-level strategy planning. As a Fellow Chartered Accountant, she provides sharp financial insights into vast operations, enhancing business performance. Michelle brings a strong operational lens and commercial acumen, covering entire project life cycle from concept to operations and rehabilitation, together with over a decade of experience as an Executive Director and Joint Venture Committee Chair. She is currently a Non-Executive Director for the AusIMM and the Mark Hughes Foundation, as well as operating her own consultancy business.

Michelle has chaired several AusIMM committees, and has a special interest in diversity and inclusion, having won several awards at state, national and international levels. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand, Governance Institute of Australia and Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and a Justice of the Peace in NSW.

Christian McMahon

MAusIMM(CP)
Advisory Lead-Operational Excellence, Principal Mining Consultant, AMC Consultants
Christian has more than 25 years of experience in the mining and extractive industries. Christian’s operational experience includes multi-site mine management, management of technical services and production departments, asset management of fixed and mobile plant and mine rehabilitation. His primary expertise is in management of low-cost, low-margin mining operations and operational improvement in mining. He is an accomplished mine operational management and development specialist who has been responsible for businesses with very large OPEX and CAPEX budgets and large workforces.

Adrian Pratt

FAusIMM(CP)
Principal, Adrian Pratt Mining Consultants
Adrian Pratt has a diverse background in mining projects that spans their evaluation, design, implementation, and operation. In 2014 he established own consultancy, which focuses on mineral project development in Australia and internationally. Prior to this he held senior technical support and operational roles with Ivanhoe Australia, Newcrest, BHP and Normandy Mining associated new projects.

Adrian holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) from the University of NSW and a Masters of Minerals & Energy Economics from Macquarie University, and Certificates of Competency as a Mine Manager. He is a Fellow of the Australasian Institute for Mining and Metallurgy with Certified Professional (CP) accreditation, Member of the Institute of Engineers Australia with registration as a Certified Practicing Engineer and is a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ).

Course Advisors

Peter McCarthy

HonFAusIMM(CP)
Peter is a co-founder of AMC Consultants, an international mining consultancy established in 1985. With more than 50 years of experience in the mining industry, Peter has been responsible for underground and open pit mine feasibility studies, mine valuations and technical studies for projects in Australasia, Asia, Europe and Africa. He has published more than 60 technical papers and articles in his areas of interest and has served as a non-executive director of five public companies. He is a past President of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and received the Beryl Jacka award in 2009.

Peter has held Mine Manager’s Certificates in Victoria and New South Wales and has degrees in Mining Engineering and Mineral Economics. He is a Life Member of the Sovereign Hill Museums Association, an Honorary Fellow of The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and a Chartered Professional Engineer.

Peter has chaired several AusIMM committees and working groups, and has a special interest in mining heritage.

Neil Cusworth

FAusIMM
Chairman and Founding Director, Enthalpy
Neil is the Chairman and Founding Director of Enthalpy’s Australian, European and North & South American operations, as an independent Project Management services provider, since 1988.

Neil’s Project Management career has spanned almost four decades working as a Project Manager – Director on resource projects in most continents. Major projects have included Gordonstone Coal, Minera Alumbrera, Queensland Magnesium, Mt Isa Copper Smelter, sale of the Gladstone Power Station, Emu Downs Wind Farm, Anaconda Murrin- Murrin and the OPR – Crosslands Iron Ore project.

He has undertaken a variety of specialist advisory and Independent Peer Review assignments since 1988. These have included a wide range of Independent Peer Reviews and Expert Witness assignment for Reko Diq and Pascal Lama projects.

Neil’s speciality has including development and providing ‘best practice’ systems, procedures and reviews for multinational corporations including BHP Billiton, Barrick Gold, Antofagasta Minerals, Stanwell Energy, Cliff’s, MIM and Codelco. His focus since 1982 has been on defining the capital cost estimating standards in the mining sector.

Damian Peachey

Principal Consultant, AMC Consultants
Damian has more than 40 years of experience in the mining industry that includes broad operational and technical roles in management, maintenance, engineering, procurement and logistics. He has held a range of senior management roles in iron ore operations in Australia.

His focus in recent years with AMC has been on performance diagnostic studies, mining equipment asset management, selection and procurement, and cost estimations for global open-pit mining operations.

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As a Cost Accountant, AusIMM has hugely increased my confidence in Cost Estimation, especially during the forecasting and budgeting period.

Amani Munda, 2024 course participant

This course has really opened my eyes to the cost estimation process. From only a rudimentary understanding through conversations with the site accountants previously, I'm now much more aware of the multiple inputs, terminology and stages of cost estimation.

Nathaniel Clark, 2024 course participant

The cost estimation course delivered a comprehensive exploration of capital and operational estimation, complemented by valuable case studies. It met expectations without surprises, offering flexible learning through well-executed online video recordings. Presenters were adept, providing a thorough understanding and practical insights into the subject matter.

Laura Moore, 2024 course participant

I was delighted to take part in this course. Very experienced facilitators and coordinators. This course will allow me to be extremely efficient in my work and to manage efficiently the contracts with our clients.

Fabien Balkougla, 2023 course participant

I wanted to express my gratitude for the excellent course training provided. The content was insightful and well-structured, and the facilitators’ expertise and enthusiasm were evident throughout the sessions. I particularly appreciated the case studies and real examples. Overall, this training has boosted my confidence and skills in the subject matter, and I look forward to implementing what I've learned in my professional role. Thank you for a valuable and enriching learning experience.

Ashish Saxena, 2023 course participant

The course was very productive, detailed and well-articulated by industry experts.

Sourav Chattopadhyay, 2023 course participant

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Present this letter to your manager to request participation in the course

Frequently asked questions

The course will be run entirely online via a cloud-based Learning Management System (LMS) which can be accessed via computer, tablet or phone. Participants will simply need to have a working Internet connection and a computer, tablet or phone with sound to access the course. They will not be required to download any software and will not require any hardware like a webcam or microphone.

The course consists of four modules run over four weeks and an extra week to complete all course components. It is expected that participants will take about 20 hours to complete the course. This includes attendance at live virtual classrooms and completion of all learning activities.

Yes, it is a requirement for participants to complete all modules and pass all learning activities to receive their digital credential.

We aim to run two intakes each year.

Unfortunately no, the course must be completed in its entirety.

At the moment, no, but we will be looking at delivering the course in other languages in the near future.

Participants can earn professional development (PD) hours for undertaking the course. One contact hour of technical content is equivalent to one PD hour.

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