how do you figure the next step is mine manager?, I would say maintenance manager, electrical engineering bears little resemblance to mine management per se.
For that (DPI mine manager) you will need some of the following:
A DIPLOMA of Surface Coal Mine Management OR a Diploma of Extractive Industries
OR
A Mine Engineering Degree / Graduate Diploma / Masters etc, something to do with mineral engineering directly from uni, civil wont cut it.
OR
None of the above but you must occupy a position above overseer for 2 years in a MINING discipline, a maintenance superintendent role wont cut the mustard.
After that you will need to take the DPI exam for a certificate of competency as a mine manager (manager of mine engineering), if your background is electrical then it will be interesting.
I am guessing you have looked at the application rules that state you will need PRACTICAL experience in open cut mining / underground mining, 3 years for no degree, 1 year with degree.
After passing the written examination, you will then be required to attend an ORAL examination, I just had one for my DPI Cert of Competence as an Open Cut Examiner, to call it hard and pressure cooker is an understatement.
Best of luck with it mate, BTW, don't be tempted to stretch the truth with the DPI, on the forms or in any other manner, read the CMHSA 2002 and CMHSR 2006 and you'll get what I mean :yeah: (you'd also be hard pressed to find a Mine Manager who will lie on these app forms anyway, as they can lose their ticket)
Obtaining a seat in the exam through deception of your experience or qualifications will get you in deep ****, not overly deep but rap across knuckles and maybe a disqualification from sitting for a while.
If you then pass said exams and obtain ticket but are later found to have lied about ANY element of your experience / qualifications, meaning you were ineligible to sit, the DPI will render the qualifications void (certificates of competency are numbered, a lost one costs money to replace) and may charge you under the CMHSA 2002 with an offense against the Act, highest penalty, prison (not likely), mid range penalty, monetary fine and tickets voided (potentially) or at the very least, tickets voided, you blacklisted and banned from obtaining them at any point (HIGHLY LIKELY).
All this is better than forging a ticket though, that just gets you in a world of hurt, there is even a section in the CMHSA about that, it attracts penalty units for you (think $$$$$$$$$$$) and the mine that allowed you to perform as a "competent person in a function required by the regulation" gets a bigger amount of penalty units.
EDIT: If you don't know what the CMHSR and CMHSA are yet, don't stress, but you'll be studying them for about 4 hours per day leading into the exams, along with OHSA 2000, OHSR 2001, EA 2003, ER 2005.