Demand for training increasing markedly

24th February 2023 By: Halima Frost - Senior Writer

Demand for training increasing markedly

HILMA HAIMBILI Mining houses are putting the emphasis on their supervisors and team leaders as the engine room of the business

Upskilling and empowerment company Dyna Training Namibia has noted a marked increase in demand for supervisory skills training in the country’s mining industry.

Although its core clients focus on the gold and copper sectors, the company has recently started engaging with clients in the uranium and zinc sectors.

“Mining houses are putting the emphasis on their supervisors and team leaders as the engine room of the business and are actively seeking to grow their capacity,” says Dyna Training Namibia country head Hilma Haimbili.

Dyna’s mining clients tend to seek practical programmes that lead to observed behavioural change and not merely theory-based programmes.

“Our courses cater to that demand effectively,” she enthuses.

Dyna’s clients have responded well to its offering, especially as it employs Namibian trainers who understand local citizens’ mindsets and are culturally in tune with their learners. 

“Our intention is to make Namibian mine supervisors and managers among the best in the world,” says Haimbili.

Subsequent to its success in Namibia, the company, established in 1976, has taken its methodology to other African countries such as Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and Zimbabwe.

Further, Dyna Training Namibia offers leadership courses at supervisory, management and executive level with a focus on partnering with the client’s leadership team to ensure that the desired results are attained.

“Our courses are aligned to qualification frameworks in various Southern African Development Community countries, which, in turn, have been benchmarked against international qualification frameworks.”

Haimbili points out that a particular challenge the company has to deal with is that, traditionally, mining houses focused very heavily on technical operations and more resources were, therefore, allocated to technical training. 

“However, more recently, we have observed more budget allocations to developing more senior supervisory and managerial talent.” 

Word of Mouth

“Most of our courses are promoted on a referral basis,” says Haimbili, adding that these referrals are often from learners who have participated in Dyna’s programmes first hand, and who have since relied on Dyna’s teachings throughout their careers.

“The same can be said for companies that have seen the results of our programmes and refer us to peers in their industries.”

Additionally, these referrals ignite greater performance from Dyna, driving it to customise every training programme for the Namibian industry to create a “true representation of what happens on the ground”. 

“We have also had the privilege of garnering support from some of the most influential leaders in Namibia, cementing the value of our training programmes in the country,” she concludes.