Skip to main content

South African mining responding to new ways of training workforces

Published by , Editor
Global Mining Review,


Figures for the country’s production recently released by Statistics South Africa paint a grim picture of the local mining industry. Production output for 2Q20 shrank by 73.1%, the third most affected by the global pandemic, after construction at 76.6% and manufacturing at 74.91%. And this was coming off a relatively low base: 6 months ago, Statistics South Africa released data on the performance of mining for 2019, showing that production was 1.3% lower than the year before. Copper and manganese had showed signs of growth, but a slump in gold and diamond production had dragged down the industry overall, with iron ore, platinum group metals and chromium also showing disappointing results.

“Never before have mining companies been under as much pressure as they are now to cut costs and increase productivity to remain viable, let alone operate profitably,” said Mike Hanley, Managing Director of New Leaf Technologies, a Johannesburg-headquartered learning software and solutions company that specialises in the mining sector.

It is one of the reasons why New Leaf Technologies is witnessing growing momentum among large mining companies to move away from traditional facilitator-led ‘classroom’-style training in favour of e-learning programmes that reduce costs and increase productivity. One of South Africa’s largest and foremost black-empowered resource companies and a leading coal producer recently signed up as an e-learning client. The world’s second-largest metals and mining corporation, and an independent global organisation of engineers and scientists consulting to the natural-resource industries, have also gone the e-learning route.

Cost savings are a major benefit for mining companies embarking on e-learning for their employees, as it does away with having to fly in, accommodate and pay a daily rate for training facilitators, eliminates the need for other non-essential training personnel, and reduces the amount of off-the-job time employees need for training. For companies with several operations scattered around the country (or the continent, or even the world), ongoing consistency is ensured, with entire workforces trained using the same content at the same level. The training content, which can be designed and sent out through a central point, is entertaining and captivating, which leaves a memorable impression on the employee. And e-learning systems have also helped mining companies to streamline their types of training and address skills gaps: e-learning is an effective way of tracking employee training progress, as well as their experiences of what has been taught, which in turn means that gaps can be quickly and efficiently addressed.

“While mining is a highly mechanical process, it’s also been heavily impacted by global digitisation,” noted Hanly. “New, sophisticated technology is transforming mining operations, which means that existing skills sets are continually needing to advance, with rock-drill operators, blasters, drill-rig operators and other artisan roles being affected. For South Africa’s mining labour force to remain competitive internationally, the industry has to address these needs.”

An additional wrinkle is that only 14% of miners have a post-matric qualification, according to data released by the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) in South Africa. The education level amongst the 460 000 people employed in the sector is also compromising its ability to mine more efficiently, compared to other key markets like Australia, Brazil, Canada and Chile. The MQA’s sector skills plan, released in 2018, revealed that skills shortages and experience exist too, including those of mining managers, mining planners, and mining and rock engineers.

“The quality of courseware and how it’s shared through e-learning can address many of these skills gaps, and retain staff rather than lose them,” added Hanly.

New Leaf Technologies’ courseware is continually adapted to address specific challenges, with the imperative being on the e-learning provider to ensure that the material is captivating and engaging, as well as meeting the educational needs of employees from a variety of demographics.

“Instructional design is important as a means of holding trainees’ attention while explaining sometimes difficult concepts,” commented Hanly. For this reason, the course material is normally multimedia in nature, combining words and graphics, ensuring that it is engaging, memorable and stimulating. A combination of 3D modelling and animation, along with virtual reality and augmented reality material, is being increasingly integrated with course content.

“Courseware needs to grab attention, but also must be aligned with the company’s needs. It must stimulate prior knowledge and build on current skills levels. It needs to present information in a storytelling format, which may often involve gameification and interactive video. And it should be guiding in nature too, providing support to learners who may grapple with difficult concepts. To break the monotony, allowing learners to provide feedback is also a great way to retain their interest, and measure effectiveness.”

The courseware, which can be quickly designed and scaled according to a company’s needs, can also be updated on an internet-based learning management system (LMS) licensed to a mining company and accessed by employees anywhere in the world, or an LMS system can be set up on a company’s premises and accessed remotely, provided the employee has a reasonable internet connection.

Hanly finds the growth in global education technology heartening, noting that the industry ballooned from R8.6 billion in venture-capital funding in 2010 to R121 billion in 2019, and that it is expected to boom to over R173 trillion by 2030 as more governments, corporates and individuals take heed of the UN’s sustainable development goal of inclusive and equitable quality education for all.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalminingreview.com/special-reports/14092020/south-african-mining-responding-to-new-ways-of-training-workforces/

You might also like

EMI

Electrification in Mining virtual conference

Join us on 16 April 2024 for Global Mining Review's first Electrification in Mining event is an interactive virtual conference, focusing on electrification as the future of sustainable mining and exploring the innovative approaches and technologies being developed to facilitate its implementation.

Register for FREE »

 
 
 

Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below):


 

This article has been tagged under the following:

African mining news Mining equipment news