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Companies on the hunt for mechanised mining skills

DECLAN VOGT The Centre for Mechanised Mining Systems has received a positive response from students regarding the available courses

MECHANISATION KNOW-HOW The mechanised mining industry is beginning to search for individuals who have a better understanding of the technical aspects of mechanisation

29th April 2016

By: Kimberley Smuts

Creamer Media Reporter

  

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The increasing use of mechanisation in mines, compounded by the resultant culture change, will affect the type of skills management requires by the mining sector in future, University of the Witwatersrand Centre for Mechanised Mining Systems (CMMS) director Dr Declan Vogt tells Mining Weekly.

He highlights that the mechanised mining industry is beginning to search for individuals who have a better understanding of the technical aspects of mechanisation.

To enhance mechanised mining skills, the CMMS is encouraging students to voice their ideas and improve the techniques and training already in place.

“A culture change is essential. Young engineers have a different view of how things could work and are willing to effect change. I think it’s important that the industry take note of new ideas and consider trialling them. We will know whether these ideas work only if they are tested in practice,” says Vogt.

He states that the industry requires a different operating culture, as employees have much more responsibility in their capacity as individuals because of mechanisation, with one worker often controlling a significant portion of the power output of the machines that are being used at a mine. It is, therefore, important that the education industry fosters individuals who can deliver to the best of their ability, Vogt adds.

For example, the CMMS focuses on providing its part-time master’s students with a research project that is relevant to the work done at their place of employment, enabling them to work on projects while performing their jobs.

“A research project for master’s students will take about 1 200 hours to complete and, therefore, it has to fit in closely with their work-related problems,” says Vogt. For example, one student is assessing the challenges involved in bolting at a mine, while another is researching how to reduce the noise generated by overland conveyer belts.

“The more relevant their topic is to what they do at work, the greater the support from their employers and the more valuable they’ll be to the companies,” he explains.

The CMMS provides courses in mechanisation and bulk materials handling, with the majority of enrolments being part-time students who have joined the course to obtain additional skills and training while working. Currently, the centre has six full-time and more than 20 part-time students.

Vogt maintains that the CMMS devotes significant effort to finding projects that students are really interested in and aims to help full-time students find work-experience opportunities to complete their master’s degrees. This is a result of many full-time students enrolling for a master’s degree immediately after they have completed their first and/or second degree, with limited mining experience.

An important goal for the CMMS this year is the addition of a research professor at the centre to allow for a larger research group, which could potentially attract more full-time students. “We currently don’t have the staff to run as many research projects as we would like,” Vogt says, pointing out that a research professor would manage a research group in a particular discipline.

The CMMS is trying to strengthen its research groups on bulk materials handling, mechanised mining and automation in mining.

Challenges

As a result of South Africa’s current financial crisis, Vogt notes that it has become a challenge for the education industry to keep up with technology development in mining.

However, the CMMS tries to mitigate this challenge by sourcing outside lecturers who are not only well informed regarding the industry and projects but also maintain contact with industry leaders.

Additionally, the centre reviews students’ experience on each course it delivers to identify possible shortcomings or adjustments, such as providing more information on certain topics.

Vogt explains that the CMMS has received a positive response from students regarding the available courses, with their stating that these courses are well presented and provide them with the required skills.

Although there is a demand for education and training in the mining industry, the financial constraints facing mining companies hamper students from pursuing their master’s degrees. The centre has subsequently not received the number of students it would have liked.

“I think we will see student numbers pick up once companies start investing in training again . . . currently, many companies seem to have cut their training budgets,” concludes Vogt.

Edited by Tracy Hancock
Creamer Media Contributing Editor

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