Joanna Gaskell - Education Editor

Rio Tinto doubles mine trainees in Australia

Posted on May 17, 2012

Miner Rio Tinto has announced plans to double its mine trainee and apprenticeship programs to meet future demands in Australia, reports Australian Mining.

Tshwane University and GyroLAG Bridge Mining-Engineering Skills Gap

Posted on May 11, 2012

Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) and air-borne geophysics company GyroLAG are joining forces to bridge the skills gap between mining and engineering in South Africa, reports Mining Weekly.

“We are delighted to participate in TUT’s S&T train project. What a better way to help start young people on a track to becoming engineers, getting exposed to the industries behind two major modes of transport!” says GyroLAG CEO Dr Laurent Ameglio.

Management Skills Lacking in South African Mines

Posted on May 4, 2012

The CEO of management leadership consultancy Louis Allen, Nico de Kock, says South African mining companies need to focus more on their management capability and leadership skills, reports Mining Weekly.

Management and leadership should not be seen as separate skills, as they are interlinked and necessary to improve productivity to achieve better results, he explains. “The key driver of any effective input-throughput-output process is the manager. If a management team implements more effective planning, organising, leading and controlling practices, it will improve business results,” notes De Kock.

Snowden Seminar on Risk and Opportunity in Mining

Posted on May 2, 2012

Mining News reports: on November 1, Snowden will be holding a seminar offering advice, tools and strategies that can be used to identify, quantify, manage and mitigate risks, and maximize opportunities in mining. The seminar will be held in Perth, …

Xstrata Turns Former Mine into Training Facility

Posted on April 16, 2012

Xstrata is using former coal mine Baal Bone as a training facility for underground miners, reports Australian Mining.

Mark Bulkeley, Xstrata Coal's Baal Bone health safety and training manager, said the first group of 12 trainees graduated a few weeks ago and are already working at the Ulan West mine. "The feedback we've received from them is that the Baal Bone training facility enabled them to have a better understanding and knowledge before going into production," Bulkeley said.

Afghanistan Looks to Australia for Mine Training

Posted on April 11, 2012

Afghanistan is seeking aid from the Australian mining industry in the creation of a school of mines to help the recovering country exploit its vast natural resources, reports Chinamining.org.

[Afghanistan] Mines Minister Wahidullah Shahrani said, "Australia is a model for us". "The government of Australia has been very generous to help us with our technical capacity, give us scholarships for postgraduate programs in the mining area and we've also been sending some people to the Australian department of mines and petroleum," he told The Australian.

Mozambique Calls Back Exiled Nationals with Skills in the Mining Industry

Posted on April 11, 2012

After discovering significant sources of oil, gas and coal in Mozambique, the government is calling for nationals living abroad to return to the country, most after being exiled during the civil war, reports Business Day.

The country is also expanding its skills-training programmes, while hundreds of Mozambican students are in China attending technical training programmes.

South Africa Suffers from Shortage of Rock Engineers

Posted on April 9, 2012

Mining Weekly: South African mine seismology specialist SiM Mining Consultants has pointed out a persistent issue in the mining industry in South Africa – too few qualified professionals in the rock engineering field.

South African miners are aware of seismic risks in mines but seismic sensors must be installed in mines to record data and allow the industry to understand increased seismic activity, [SiM director Friedemann Essrich] says. Essrich believes that a greater pool of experts and increased awareness of seismicity can be created through the education of rock engineers.

LME Donations to Wits School of Mining Engineering Increase Student Thoroughput

Posted on April 5, 2012

The amount of first-year students studying at the Wits School of Mining Engineering at the University of Witwatersrand has dramatically increased due to donations from the London Metal Exchange (LME), reports International Mining.

Professor Fred Cawood, head of the Wits School of Mining Engineering, aims to increase the percentage of sponsored students in the school to provide opportunities for those drawn from a disadvantaged socio-economic background and the donation from LME fulfilled this exact purpose. “Our objective is to identify students who are needy – students coming from poor families who cannot afford to study, and deserving – those who have a realistic chance of success if their money problems are resolved,” says Professor Cawood.

West Virginia Mine Safety Training Facility to Start Construction in June

Posted on March 29, 2012

A new training facility for mine safety could be breaking ground in Julian, West Virginia, by June of this year, reports The State Journal.

Alpha [Natural Resources] agreed to build a "state-of-the-art" training facility in Julian as part of its obligations to settle with the Department of Justice in regard to the Upper Big Branch mine disaster. The accident resulted in the death of 29 miners.