Three of Australia's top Universities, The University of New South Wales, Curtin University and The University of Queensland, launched a groundbreaking national education joint venture, Mining Education Australia (MEA) on June 14, 2007.

A world first for undergraduate mining education, the joint venture will provide a common curriculum for third and fourth year mining engineering students in three campuses across Australia.

Prof Bruce Hebblewhite, Executive Director, MEA and Head, School of Mining Engineering, (hq)

Prof Richard Henry, Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, UNSW with Prof Hebblewhite (above) (hq)

Dr Kevin Tuckwell, Executive Director, MTEC (below) (hq)

Developed and supported by the Minerals Council of Australia, MEA will integrate the resources of Australia's premier mining engineering Universities into one Program within a "virtual" national Mining School to develop world class undergraduate education and enable students to access the combined talents of the best mining academics in the world.

With the crisis in the availability of skilled workers in Australia's booming resource sector, MEA is a critical response to ensure that industry has access to adequate number of high quality graduates. In addition, the strong connection between the industry and MEA will enable graduates to access potential employers during their studies.

Some of the MEA team members (hq)