SKILL GAP
“ ENROLMENTS IN IN PROFESSIONAL
PROGRAMS CRUCIAL ”
STEPHEN ENDERS COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
In the US , mining and logging sector employment , excluding oil and gas , declined to about 176,900 in April , down 8.1 % compared to April 2019 , according to US Bureau of Labor Statistics data . US mining employment has fallen 20.4 % over the past ten years .
Strategies for finding talent and adapting to the skills shortage To address this shortage of skilled labour , mining executives and chief human resource officers must design a strategic plan to hire and retain a qualified workforce . Below are some ways to meet the need for talent .
Flexible and remote work policies attract mining staff The World Economic Forum ' s Preparing for the Future of Work report found that around 95 % of surveyed mining companies are adopting strategies that create more remote working opportunities . However , the sector is more fieldwork than work-from-office roles . But new opportunities are coming from the digitalisation and electrification of modern mines . However , for fieldwork roles like geologists , engineers , drillers , trade technicians , operators , and laborers , employers need to give room for flexibility , like having a balanced ratio of weeks-on to weeks-off with a mix of benefits .
Attract the next generation of mining workers Skills shortages are now a common feature of the global economy , especially in countries with an ageing population , where nurses , truck drivers , and engineers are scarce . For the mining industry , the shortages are so severe , partly because of the commodities boom that caught it more or less by surprise . To fill this gap , mining companies should start investing in strategies to attract the next generation of mining workers . They can do this by offering paid internships or scholarships to potential employees . For example , in the early 2000s , Anglo American paid to put 1,000 South Africans through universities and have since been investing in improving education in the country .
Stephen Enders , head of the mining engineering department at the Colorado
miningdigital . com 11