Foundational adult education requirements are a persisting problem, especially in the South African mining sector, says education and training services provider EEE (Triple E) Training Holdings.

Illiterate employed and yet-to-be employed persons form a large percentage of personnel in the mining industry, with mathematics and communication skills the essential subjects required currently in the mining industry, which is a large employer of people in South Africa.

Triple E Training director Paula Whitaker says most of the company’s programmes for the mining sector fall under adult education and training (AET), comprising mostly English, mathematics and business skills.

“These subjects empower and encourage learners to pursue education at higher levels,” she says.

Whitaker states that Triple E Training’s English and mathematics courses are quite popular in the mining sector.

“Knowledge and application in these subjects are fundamental for pursuing just about anything further, from business opportunities to further education and training.” she says.

In addition, Triple E Training also offers several of its courses to empower communities around mines.

Whitaker states that most of the courses undertaken by unemployed learners are full-time courses, adding that the company “encourages full-time courses for unemployed learners to ensure they remain motivated and interested in the subject matter”.

However, for working mine learners, part-time courses are preferred, as learners’ work commitments receive priority.

“Demand for learnerships is also increasing, which is good because these are full qualifications,” she says.

The duration of courses offered by Triple E Training differs, as it depends on course content and whether learners are part-time or full-time. “For example, one level of English takes about 120 hours,” says Whitaker.

Triple E Training has been servicing mining clients for the past 15 years, with the mining industry forming a large part of its client base. “We currently have operations at more than 70 mining sites in South Africa, and have also conducted training programmes in Namibia.

In 2014, learners doing Triple E Training courses scored a national pass rate of 86.4%.

Whitaker further says the company has had to deal with the logistics of tuition in remote locations. “We have experienced some delays in getting the resources to learners in remote locations, owing to the lengthy road haulage of reading material and a lack of locally based facilitators,” she says.

“It is one of Triple E Training’s policies to empower local communities, so, in remote regions, we strive to source facilitators from the local community.”

Whitaker notes that the search for human resources can be challenging, owing to several trained personnel moving out of rural areas – where basic education is required – ¬ to find jobs in more populated areas such as cities.

“These challenges are overcome through extensive and earlier planning,” she concludes.