Mining Digital November 2022 | Page 13

SKILL GAP corporate social responsibilities . However , companies can adopt training workers from mining communities . That means finding workers among the local population . Rio Tinto offers such a thing , providing basic literacy courses to raise the indigenous portion of its workforce to 15 %.

Asides from that , skilled immigration is another solution . To give you an idea , Australia is creating new visas for temporary workers , enabling companies to recruit from countries like the Philippines , China , or Africa . With the swelling demand for materials critical to the clean energy transition , mining companies have the work but now need the workers . They must look within their community and overseas for the best quality and skilled workforce .

Encourage diversity and inclusion Australian Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King has urged the mining industry to encourage female employment . Although data shows around 52 000 women were employed in the resources sector , King says that hiring females could help address labour shortages by increasing the skills supply , especially as the industry modernises to adopt more technology .

Opportunities in the mining sector exist on remote sites , city-based offices , laboratories , and high-tech control and management centres . Women can make a career by managing teams and projects , building robotics , piloting drones , social and community responsibility and philanthropy , engineering machinery , or tackling climate change .

Addressing the skill shortage in the mining industry is first a matter of adaptation . It will take some time before the sector gets enough skilled workers for all its demands . However , to adjust and consistently meet the need for talent , mining companies need to reimagine their recruitment strategy and take on board the above suggestions .

STEPHEN ENDERS COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES

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