Drastic measures to avert the current skills crisis that South Africa is experiencing is taking root through an initiative between industry role-players.

The Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) is the protagonist in a programme that sees government and companies within the industry working together.

MQA CEO Livhu Nengovhela says that companies are starting to realise the importance, and appreciate the value of education and training in the mining sector. This has resulted in ambitious learnership programmes that are being run by companies which hope to accredit some 3 700 learners a year, 70% of whom will be artisans.

“The MQA has more than 75 learnerships registered with the Department of Labour.” says Nengovhela. He adds that the learnership programmes typically take three years to complete and cover a range of topics which include most engineering and mining skills. These programmes are used by mining companies through the MQA- accredited training providers to develop the skills of their employees or unemployed learners.

Nengovhela says that there are cash incentives available to companies that participate in this programme. “For every learner that a company puts through its learnership programme, the MQA offers a R21 000 cash incentive,” says Nengovhela.

He adds that it is imperative for companies to allow their learners to participate in the whole programme over the specified timeframe. Nengovhela is very critical about the current trend of fast-tracking skills develop- ment. “When one fast-tracks a skills development programme, the learner who is participating in the programme does not cover all the areas that are necessary for him/her to work effectively. The main area where this bears fruit is in the health and safety standards. Companies need to realise the impact of fast-tracking skills developments and appreciate the potential dangers that it presents,” says Nengovhela.

All the courses presented in the learnership programme have a mine health and safety element to it. This is off the back of mine health and safety standards being under the scrutiny of government bodies such as the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) and the Presidency.

In October 2007, thousands of miners at gold mining company Harmony Gold’s Elandsrand mine, near Carltonville, Mpumalanga province, were trapped underground when a 15-m compressed pipe column broke off below the shaft surface bank and fell to the bottom of the shaft, damaging cables and severing the power supply.

This sparked off a massive rescue operation that attracted the attention of DME Minister Buyelwa Sonjica, who subsequently criticised mining companies in the industry for their lack of safety on the mines.

Nengovhela reports that there is an inherent tension between productivity, health and safety, and skills development. “This tension needs to be collectively managed by both the employers and employees so that focus is not only on productivity bonuses, but also on safety issues and skills development,” says Nengovhela.

He warns that there is no quick-fix solution to the skills crisis as the country has a backlog of almost 20 years to rectify. “Companies within the South African mining industry stopped training artisans in the early 1980s. This has caused far-reaching effects as these skilled labourers are either exiting the industry or are being enticed to further their careers in Australia or Canada, which are also experiencing their own skills crises,” says Nengovhela.

Chamber of Mines Professor of Mining and Engineering and head of the school at Wits School of Mining Professor Huw Phillips has raised concerns over the level of recruitment of top achievers in maths and science at school level. He says that not enough career guidance is made available to students. This results in students that could enter the mining industry opting for careers outside the mining industry. Nengovhela says that the MQA is aware of this and is putting measures in place to rectify this imbalance.

“The MQA is in the process of compiling a career guidance booklet that outlines the requirements for enrolling to study a career in mining, as well as the characteristics of the industry. The booklet is under development and the roll-out of the booklets to schools can be expected towards the end of the year,” says Nengovhela.

He adds that the roll-out programme is to target both private- and government- sponsored schools in rural areas of the country. Nengovhela reports that the roll-out programme is targeting the rural areas because access to information in those areas is limited.

Besides the planned school roll-out programme, the MQA offers a full academic bursary to prospective students wishing to study a mining industry scarce skill. The academic bursary covers tuition, books, accommodation and additional costs that are associated with the degree, such as excursions. Nengovhela says that the MQA spends a lot of time in consultation with the tertiary institutions that offer such degrees, in order to provide support to a wide spectrum of students.

Nengovhela says that the foremost challenge that the MQA and mining companies face in the industry is the high level of illiteracy that is found in the mines. Reports show that about 60% of people working on the mines have less than Abet level 3, this does not allow them to enter into learnership programmes. “The Abet programmes cover issues such as communication skills and basic maths skills. Illiteracy does not allow the individuals to participate in the available learnership programmes. “This is the only way to ensure that a learner can attain an Abet level 4,” says Nengovhela.

Another prevalent challenge that the MQA finds in the industry is the debate between part-time and full-time Abet studies. “Some of the companies tell their employees to take a break from work in order to complete their studies; this results in well-rounded workers who have a grasp of what was covered in Abet. Some companies find it difficult to sacrifice productivity over a learner studying on a full-time basis. These learners then take the course on a part-time basis and take longer to attain the same knowledge that a full-time student takes,” says Nengovhela. He encourages companies to allow their employees to take Abet on a full-time basis where possible.

To hear Linvhu Nengovhela's comments on whether mine health and safety training is seen as a grudge purchace, click here

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