The looming skills crunch in mining and the need to join hands (original) (raw)
Skills needed by engineers in the platinum mining industry in South Africa
2013 Proceedings of PICMET '13: Technology Management in the IT-Driven Services (PICMET), 2013
The South African platinum mining industry faces continuous challenges in terms of increased global competition, demand for productivity, skills shortages, loss of scarce technical skills due to emigration, strikes and high turnover rates. Hence, the lack of engineering skills (technical and management skills) may seriously hamper the capacity of the mining industry to ensure that productivity and safety standards are maintained. A quantitative study was conducted on skills needed by platinum mining engineers in three provinces in South Africa. A four-point Likert-type scale questionnaire ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree was developed. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was above 0.8, indicating high internal reliability. The population consisted of 300 engineers in platinum mines in three provinces in South Africa. A convenience sample was used; 79 engineers volunteered to complete the questionnaire. The response rate was 26.3%. A factor analysis was conducted to ...
Journal- South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
The Department of Mining Engineering at the University of Pretoria accepts that the process of teaching and learning improvement is an ongoing exercise with the ultimate aim to deliver well-rounded mining engineering practitioners. Various challenges impact on the success of this process. An integrated and innovative process was developed and is followed in the Department to overcome these challenges. The aim of the Department is to apply a holistic teaching approach by introducing multiple integrated interventions with regards to teaching and learning strategies. Three phases of this process are discussed in this article, and are illustrated in Figure 1. During the first phase, prior to 1999, several teaching and learning challenges were identified in the Department of Mining Engineering. These challenges are discussed in the next section. In the current phase, a variety of interventions to address the challenges are being developed, implemented (in some cases piloted), and evaluated. The future phases will focus on the improvement, successes, and full roll-out of current interventions, as well as on training, development, and support for all staff members to participate in the process. (Figure 1) The process of teaching and learning improvement described in this article is based on and supported by the prescribed Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) outcomes. These outcomes are also incorporated in the South African Qualifications Authority's (SAQA) outcomes for the Engineering qualification.
Validation of Training Priorities of Engineers in the Platinum Mining Industry in South Africa
The South African Journal of Industrial Engineering, 2015
Despite a significant need, there is very little South African research on the validation of the generic training priorities of engineers within the platinum mining industry. The purpose of this study was to validate the generic training priorities of engineers in the platinum mining industry in three provinces in South Africa. For this study, a quantitative research design was used, a four-point Likert-type questionnaire was designed, and a purposive sample was used. The results of this study indicated that theoretical knowledge, technical skills, management skills, and engineering principles are generic training priorities.
Immunotechnology, 2020
Pakistan has not developed its mining sector to its full potential. This is despite its quality mineral resources. Mining in Pakistan is mostly ‘artisanal’ and ‘small-scale’, and for this to change, the country must develop the skills to support a flourishing formal sector of significance in the twenty-first century. Pakistan has good quality universities with some of them already providing courses in mining. Building on this platform, NUST University approached the School of Mining Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits Mining) in 2011 to start a collaboration that will result in greater sector benefit for Pakistan. The outcome of the discussions was to do capacity building for mining professionals in Pakistan at postgraduate and post-doctorate levels. The approach used was to identify university staff requirements to support a teaching, learning and research programme for a 21st century mining sector and then to match these with the qualifications of the lecturer...
Curriculum Review Process at the School of Mining Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand
International Journal of Georesources and Environment
The School of Mining Engineering (Wits Mining) at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) has a long history of Mining Engineering education, being the oldest and largest on the African continent. In 2016, the School celebrated 120 years in existence and according to the recent QS University Rankings, it is recognized as one of the world's top mining engineering schools, hosting an expansive program. It also has one of the highest growth rates of any of the engineering schools or departments, having seen a consistent increase in students to its program. (1) Need for re-curriculation: With mines in South Africa going deeper as shallow Mineral Resources are depleted, the challenges facing the industry today are substantial. However, best-practice innovations and technology offer the opportunity for the design and management of hightech mines that are not only safer, but also more productive and environmentally and socially responsible, while still being economically successful. Feedback from industry experts and alumni continuously alluded to revising the existing BSc (Mining) curriculum in order to cater for the needs of an innovative and technology driven mining industry. The School hence decided to go through a comprehensive 2 day curriculum review workshop which hosted academic staff and industry experts from several engineering streams. (2) Finding: The future mining engineer should encompass skills and knowledge in 4 broad streams namely: Basics of Science and Mathematics, relevant core technical skills, operational management and a socioeconomic understanding. (3) Aim: The School's new Strategic Plan and new technology driven curriculum will ensures that the Wits Mining Team can deliver Excellence in Teaching, Research and Servicein line with the Wits Vision 2022 of being "a leading research-intensive university firmly embedded in the Top 100 world universities by 2022". This paper reflects on the process that was undertaken for this review and comment on the final outcome that was attained.
Mining/Mineral Engineering Education on the Job: A New Concept
2007
The aging mining workforce in industry, government agencies, as well as, academia and the uncertainty of being able to replace them due to declining number of mining engineering students and programs in the U.S and overseas certainly calls for a more attractive mining engineering education program. This paper presents a new concept for mining/mineral engineering education, which may be more attractive to the prospective students, industry, as well as, academia due to the understandable advantages to all three parties. According to the new concept, the students, after spending the first two years in a college/university to complete the foundation/basic courses, will be centered in the industry, where minerals engineering coursework will be offered in structured or self-paced learning formats through the internet. The students will start working up to 50% of the time with the industry after completing the initial two years of degree courses in a college/university and simultaneously take the additional required courses for the degree through distance learning systems established in the modern universities. The concept has several advantages for students, industries and academia, including: 1) Earning of a decent salary by the students starting from the junior years; 2) Industry's early access to employees to develop suitable engineering skills; 3) More effective learning for students through observing actual operations while learning the theory behind them from coursework; 4) Industry input for continuous improvement of academic curriculum; 5) Increase in the flow of real-life industry problems to be solved by university faculties through research; 6) Increased participation of undergraduate students in university research; and 7) An improved relationship between the academia and industries through the students enrolled in the program for mutual benefit and the betterment of the society at large.
International journal of georesources and environment
Many countries in Southern Africa are generally endowed with a wealth of minerals. For example, South Africa and Zimbabwe are host to approximately 80% of the world's Platinum Group Minerals (PGMs) and chromite resources. Vast deposits of coal, both thermal and metallurgical, occur and are mined in significant quantities in Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. However, the region has over the years experienced a shortfall in skilled personnel as well as well-resourced training institutions to convert the comparative advantage arising from the rich mineral endowment to a competitive advantage through efficient extraction, beneficiation and value addition. In recent years, Governments in the sub-region have responded to this unfavorable situation by opening a number of universities and other tertiary institutions focussing on educating and training a new generation of mineral professionals. This study reviewed the recent developments in the region and assessed the extent to which capacity shortfalls are being addressed in the minerals sector. The methodology included questionnaires and interviews, and the analysis was mainly qualitative. The main findings of the study were that although several mineral education institutions were being opened in the region, there is an inadequate number of professionals in the mining and minerals field in the region for teaching and research, and there are few wellequipped modern facilities for teaching and research such as laboratories and lecture rooms. This situation presents an opportunity for collaborative initiatives, not only within the region but internationally, aimed at addressing these shortfalls and ensuring that appropriate skills are developed for the mining industry and also for the academic institutions.
The Evolving Mining Workforce: Training Issues
Citeseer
Safety and health professionals from all sectors of industry recognize that training is a critical element of an effective safety and health program. A major concern in the mining industry today is how to train the present aging workforce plus the expected influx of new and less experienced miners and mine operators as the cohort of older workers retire. This paper defines the problem, offers a model to structure the inquiry, and presents the key issues a multidisciplinary team of NIOSH researchers identified, based on an extensive review of the current literature in relevant areas. Issues include differences between cohorts, such as the newer workers (Generation M), and present workers (Boomers) with respect to their physical, social, psychological, and cultural characteristics, their learning styles and work expectations. Specific issues for an aging workforce are discussed. Some preliminary recommendations are offered on the type of training needed.
Talent shortages and talent surpluses in the mining industry in South America
Research Papers in Economics, 2011
A study of talent shortages and talent surpluses in the mining industry in various South American nations was conducted. GERENS has completed a study of the growth in the demand for professionals in the mining industry in Peru. It found that contractors, consulting companies, and equipment suppliers have the highest volatility, ranging from very high rates of demand in optimistic scenarios to significant decreases under pessimistic ones. Quality of education in mining, geology and metallurgy is a major issue for the South American mining industry. If quality revamping becomes successful, given the high and increasing enrolment in mining and geology schools, Peru, Chile and other South American countries could not only satisfy their internal demand for talent but become significant exporters of talent.
The socio-economic effects of mechanising and/or modernising hard rock mines in South Africa
South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 2018
Background and context The mining industry is an important contributor to the current and future economy of the Republic of South Africa (RSA). The estimated economic value of the mineral reserves in the country is about $2.5 trillion (Mining Weekly 2016). The country has about 90% of known platinum group metals (PGMs) reserves in the world and has supplied over 10% of all the gold in the world (Department of Minerals and Energy 2009). The mining industry directly contributes about 8% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and this contribution can be as high as 17% if indirect and induced effects are added. The gold and PGM mining companies (hard rock mines) contribute about 30% of the total mining contribution to the GDP. Furthermore, the industry directly employs about 462 000 people (Chamber of Mines 2014), and an additional 800 000 people are employed indirectly by the industry, namely mining-dependent subsector industries (Chamber of Mines 2014). A study in 2008 estimated that every mine worker employed in the mines has 10 other people who are financially dependent on their employment (Chamber of Mines 2009). All these facts indicate that the mining industry plays a significant role in both the economic status and socioeconomic status of the country. However, there is a general perception that the current conventional method of hard rock mining in RSA is unsustainable. The current conventional mining methodology is deemed unsustainable due to rising labour costs, weak metal prices, occupational health and safety concerns and low productivity levels. Modernisation of mines in the form of mechanisation has the potential to improve the competitiveness, health and safety and profitability issues within the mining industry in RSA. Most mining companies in RSA are already implementing their mechanisation plans and most mines will be mechanised in the next decade. The improvements that come with mechanisation will have varying impacts on different stakeholders. On a short-term basis, mechanisation Background and aim: This article aims to explore stakeholders' views on the potential effects of modernising hard rock mines in South Africa. Methods: This objective was achieved through eliciting and bringing together the views of different stakeholders. Different stakeholders were interviewed using qualitative research methodologies. The sample demographics were fairly representative and ranged from operators to executives and from employee to employer representatives. The main form of data collection was one-on-one face-to-face interviews. Results: One of the major findings of this research is that stakeholders have different levels of understanding of mechanisation and modernisation. The levels of understanding were found to be proportional to the levels of education. Conclusion: There seems to be general support for mechanisation and modernisation among the participants. The identified socioeconomic challenges and benefits were relatively similar and aligned among participants. The main difference, however, pertained to the depth and scope of the problem or opportunity as perceived by different participants. Interviewees were also unanimous in identifying the social-economic benefits of mechanisation; these were in line with those identified in the literature, namely benefits in occupational health and safety issues, efficiency, costs and improved life of mines. Furthermore, participants viewed mechanisation and modernisation as an opportunity to reskill themselves and to improve operations and quality of life. More importantly, stakeholders seemed to share a common vision and interest of the future; as such, they were able to see beyond their constituencies and interests.
Building long-term capability in the Australian minerals industry - the MINAD project
2014
Background: The minerals industry in Australia, as in many other countries, has a history of fluctuating between boom and bust scenarios. In the boom times the industry experiences severe shortages of skilled labour, whilst demand is considerably reduced in the lean times. In 2011 the Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) received Federal Government funding to foster the development of two new Associate roles within the minerals industry in the disciplines of Mining Engineering and Geoscience, in order to build long-term capability. Purpose: The purpose of the Minerals Industry National Associate Degree (MINAD) project was to develop nationally the role of Associate within the Australian minerals industry and to ensure adequate educational programs and pathways for student articulation. Design/Method: The MINAD project commenced in 2012 as a partial solution to the long-term shortage of graduates from professional level Mining Engineering and Geoscience programs in Australia. The proj...
An Investigation of Learning Needs in the Mining Industry
Education Sciences
Mining operations are risky and often dangerous, with a high potential for accidents. Many of these accidents can be prevented by implementing safety measures. It is essential that mining companies take these measures seriously to protect the safety and wellbeing of their workers and ensure the sustainability of the industry. Among these measures, those related to training are addressed in this paper in relation to the ERASMUS+ project entitled DigiRescueMe, which aims at developing courses to increase the knowledge and level of awareness of miners, rescue members, and mining engineers and, consequently, reduce the death rate in mine accidents. For this goal, semi-structured interviews and surveys were implemented, and the collected data were analyzed. The mining industry is a wide domain connected to other sectors like universities, vocational schools, rescue centers, and agencies. For this reason, the investigations carried out herein engaged people from all these sectors to ident...
Why T-Shaped Engineers in the Mining Sector Are Vital for Progress
ENVIRONMENT. TECHNOLOGIES. RESOURCES. Proceedings of the International Scientific and Practical Conference
The importance of minerals and metals in the development of technologies vital for modern society to function and for increasing clean energy needs, cannot be understated. However, what is the level of knowledge of people working in this field, and how can we be sure that these people also update their knowledge continuously? There is a growing need for educated employees and engineers with a knowledge of wider issues associated with the mining sector. To align the competence of university graduates and employees with what is required in the labour market, it is necessary to develop a vocational system that identifies the competence of these mining-related occupations and incorporate new systems and ways of thinking, particularly in sustainability issues. Professional standards create opportunities for assessing competence. An occupational qualification standard describes the relevant occupational activity and competence necessary for practicing an occupation, i.e., skills, knowledg...
Education for Mining / Background Study/ Ethiopia
SUMMARY The mining sector is the third priority in the national GTP. The expectations about the potential contribution of the mining sector to growth, foreign exchange and government revenues are high. Ethiopia's mining policies are more and more positioning to be attractive for foreign investors. If Ethiopia presents a great potential concerning the development of the mining sector, this sector is still at an early stage of exploration. The Ministry of Mines has attributed 300 licenses and around 25-30% of these licenses were attributed to international firms. But three technical factors that are slowing down the expansion of exploration in Ethiopia: o The lack of local experienced exploration geologists; o The lack of diamond drill rigs and skilled workers in diamond drilling; o The lack of laboratory facilities. The mining operations concern only two large-scale mines in operation in Ethiopia: one gold mine with 1300 employees and one tantalum mine with 600 employees and there is no second transformation of ore concentrates. Also the artisanal and small-scale sector represents half a million of direct jobs and it is estimated that more than 5 million Ethiopians live from the revenues generated by this economic activity. The artisanal workers are poorly trained, poorly skilled and poorly equipped. Among the large scale mines and the explorations companies the presence of women is very low. But, in the artisanal sector, they represent around 30% of the work force. In the next years it can be estimated between 7 000 and 10 000 employees in the large-scale mining sector in the next few years. This workforce projection shouldn’t be higher because large-scale mining activities are capital-intensive activities. But large-scale mines have an important impact on downstream and upstream activities in the local and national economy, especially maintenance, maintenance, construction, transportation and procurement activities. With the opening of new mines the next shortage will concern the mining engineers and technicians. To obviate these shortages observed in the workforce the Ethiopians universities and TVETs are on the first line. The Higher Education level is in a phase of expansion in Ethiopia. Many new universities appear, the enrolment rate is increasing and the variety of programs offer to the student is expanding. However, this tendency has reached weakly the training offer for the mining sector. The offer is almost limited to Geology. However, two universities have implemented a new program to train Mining Engineers. With one exception all the higher institutions that train students in fields related to the mining sector are public institutions. The new programs that universities are opening for the mining sector are harmonized and based on international standards. However, they generally face problems of laboratory, staffing, coordination and logistic. And also the present perception of the Ethiopians graduates by the employers is not favourable because they lack of practical skills. So the challenge over the next years will be more on the side of quality issues for the training instead of quantity issues. There is a big gender disparity at the Higher Education level. This gender disparity affect also the Departments linked to the mining sector. A huge under representation of female student can be observed in all Departments linked with the mining sector. On the side of the TVETs, the new TVETs strategy is based on a demand driven approach to fill the gap between market demand and training provision. One of the requirements of the new strategy is to develop an integrated Framework of Qualifications and Training Based on Competency Standards, with a curricular structure, aligned with the needs of the labour market. Even if the mining sector is among the first development priority in the GTP the TEVETs level haven’t begin the design and the development of a specific training offer for the mining sector. However, the government has a plan to expand the operation of TVETs institutions in areas including the mining sector. The TVETs offer training possibilities for the occupations that support the mining sector, such as: driver, automotive body repair, metal engineering, plumbing, driller, surveyor, and machine operators. But they are not designed to meet the need of the mining sector. They are rather meant to meet the needs of the industrial and agricultural sector that received priority by the government. The demands and the expectations of the mining sector and the capacity of the Ethiopian institutions to fill these demands create gaps. This study identifies three gaps that correspond to the present situation: • Gap 1: the lack of legitimacy, responsibility and accountability This first gap is more than a “governance gap” because both parties, the government and the mining companies, are trapped in the constraints created by this gap. On the one hand a weak state can’t use the investment make in the mining sector as a catalyst to boost the activities in other sector of the economy, and on the other hand the mining companies are facing responsibilities that are usually taken more efficiently and equitably by the state (security, education, health, etc.). Consequently mining companies are facing disputes that affect business through expensive project delays, damaged reputations, high conflict management costs, investor uncertainty, increasing of the risks for the company. • Gap 2: the shortage of a local skill force This gap, at first, concerns the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is due to an inadequacy between, on one side, the requirements of the employers and, on the other side, the curriculum content and the pedagogical method and facilities offered by the universities. At the technical training level it must be noted that the TVETs didn’t offer yet programs related specifically to the technical occupations related to the mining sector. Also, for the artisanal minors, there is no specific training for these workers. • Gap 3: the institutional and community building challenge The large-scale mines possess financial, material and human resources that are far away from what they encounter in the host country. They offer good jobs and high salary but, at first, the local workforce couldn’t comply with the requisites of the “mine”. Also the regulation of the mining sector is weak in Ethiopia. It is reported a lack of skilled professionals at the MoM and the capacity in regional governments is even weaker. The fact that there is not a lot of expertise within the government to proper monitor and regulate the sector has many consequences among, for examples, license attribution, environmental management and transparency issues. The conclusion of this Background study proposes to implement a mining development strategy that can contribute to the maximisation of economic and social benefit . The nature of the 3 identifying gaps positions the strategy on the ground of an intervention on the “regulatory and social processes”. This strategy should be based on three pillars: 1. Reinforce the human capital: o By supporting technical training; o By developing critical skills among stakeholders; o By supporting the sharing of knowledge and best practices; o By offering tailored training to the artisanal miners. 2. Reinforce the info capital: o By reinforcing the mechanism of accountability and transparency; o By supporting the implementation of database, network, infrastructure and application; o By reinforcing the diversification potential of the mining sector; o By supporting the creation of links and networks with foreign expertise. 3. Reinforce the organisational capital: o By reinforcing and supporting the federal, regional and local institutions; o By upgrading the facilities and installations in higher education institution; o By developing a culture of value and ethics among stakeholders.
2014
The remarkably rich and persistent gold and platinum deposits in South Africa stimulated the development of a deep mining industry. The challenges of mining laterally-extensive orebodies at depths as great as 4 km include high rock stress and temperature, and large vertical and horizontal distances over which personnel, materials and rock must be transported. Innovation was driven by entrepreneurial zeal, private-public partnerships, government regulation, and labour activism. Despite the development and widespread implementation of many technologies critical to successful deep mining, there has been a major decline in domestic research and development (R&D) activity and capacity during the past two decades. Nevertheless, there are some areas of research where South African researchers continue to break new ground, notably the application of reflection seismology in the hard rock environment, studies of rockburst mechanisms, and the development of systems to monitor the underground environment. Changes in the social, economic and political landscape since the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994 have also had a major impact on the deep mining industry, and will most likely accelerate efforts to increase the level of mechanisation and automation. This paper briefly reviews the history of innovation in the South African deep mining industry, discusses current initiatives, and seeks to assess the contribution made by R&D and to forecast future trends. 2 Deep mining in South Africa Gold was discovered in quartz pebble conglomerates that crop out in present-day Johannesburg in 1886 (Viljoen & Reimold 1999). Since then, the Witwatersrand Basin has produced almost one third of the gold ever mined (Handley 2004), and arguably still contains over half of the world's identified remaining gold resources. The conglomerates were deposited in an Archaean sedimentary basin, and were subsequently covered by younger strata. Magnetic and gravity surveys were used to trace the orebodies (locally known as reefs) beneath the cover rocks, and new gold fields were discovered in the East Rand in 1914, the Far https://papers.acg.uwa.edu.au/p/1410\_0.2\_Durrheim/ Has research and development contributed to improvements in safety and profitability of RJ Durrheim deep South African mines? 24 Deep Mining 2014, Sudbury, Canada West Rand and Klerksdorp districts in 1937, the Free State province in 1946, and the Kinross district in 1955. The reefs persist to great depths, bringing about many challenges; notably increases in rock stress and temperature, and the distances over which personnel, materials and rock must be transported. Deep gold mining poses many safety and health risks to mine workers, including falls of ground and heat stroke. Mining-induced seismicity and its hazardous manifestation, rockbursts, were first encountered in the early 1900s when extensive stopes, supported solely by small reef pillars, reached depths of several hundred metres. These problems required innovative solutions, the success of which has enabled mining today to take place almost 4 km below the surface. At its peak in 1970, the industry produced 1,000 metric t of gold. The drill-and-blast mining method is labour intensive, and employment peaked at some 500,000 persons in the 1980s. In 2012, gold output and employment declined to 167 t (the lowest level since 1905) and 142,000 miners, respectively. Despite this, gold exports earned ZAR 72 b, surpassing platinum and coal (Creamer 2013). South Africa is also home to the Bushveld Complex, a huge layered intrusion that contains the world's largest resource of platinum group elements (PGEs). The laterally continuous PGE reefs, discovered in 1924 (Viljoen & Reimold 1999), persist to depths of several kilometres. Technology, knowledge and experience gained in Witwatersrand gold mines have been adapted and applied to mine the PGE reefs and mitigate the risks posed by high temperatures and stresses. The thermal gradient is considerably higher in the Bushveld Complex because the mafic rocks of the layered portion of the complex, such as pyroxenites, gabbros, norites and anorthosites, have lower thermal conductivities than quartzite. Thus cooling became an issue at comparatively shallow depths. On the other hand, Bushveld rocks are mechanically weaker and less brittle than quartzite, and seismicity only became a source of concern in the 1990s when mining depths approached 1 km.
Guidelines for the development of a new miner training curriculum
2008
This report is intended to help mine safety trainers better prepare to teach the influx of new underground coal miners who are entering the industry. This is done by identifying two different approaches to instruction and discussing the ways they may affect how well prepared new hires are to deal with a dynamic and hazardous workplace. One approach is based on the use of a syllabus. Those using a syllabus are more likely to rely on lecturing or direct instruction. This is a good way to get across factual information, but does not provide a context within which miners can fit the discrete facts so that they form an integrated whole set of concepts, principles, and skills. The other approach is based on the use of a curriculum. Those using a curriculum may be more likely to help miners integrate concepts and skills that give them an overall picture of the complex mining environment and how they fit into the workplace. This will better prepare them for the decision-making and problem-solving activities that will help them work safely and productively.
Mine disaster and mine rescue training courses in modern academic mining engineering programmes
Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
The mining industry worldwide is currently facing a significant restructuring process. In most underground mines, widespread mechanization of the mining processes increases production while reducing staff numbers. At the same time, mining depths as well as the lateral spread of the mine workings are increasing. This ever-changing mining environment requires sophisticated solutions for the design and operation of underground mines. In fact, a reduced number of mining engineers is taking responsibility for ever-increasing mine operations. This applies not only to the excavation of the minerals, but also to all other aspects of the mining operation, including health and safety, disaster management, and mine rescue organization. Most mining engineering graduates entering the industry lack experience in mine emergency management. Young engineer trainees must learn mine emergency management and rescue work in addition to their normal training experience on the job. Often, and unfortunatel...