The positive impact that skills development has on safety, productivity and careers in mining has been put into focus by Concor Mining Services.

Accredited as a training organisation by the Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA), the company says it actively builds the sector’s skills base from the ground up through its corporate commitment to training and mentoring.

“This allows us to deliver the quality and level of training that not only ensures our customers a highly productive offering, but also gives employees portable qualifications as they progress their careers through the mining sector,” says Concor group training manager Niel Fourie. “The full qualifications, part qualifications and short courses are all vital to driving the minerals sector – which remains a key pillar of our economy. They are also important stepping stones for our employees, who use them to progress and often to study further.”

Among the roles on which the technical training is focused are dump truck operators, excavator and face shovel operators and support plant operators. There is also a focus on developing blasting assistants and foremen with rock breaking qualifications. Offered through the MQA framework, the training includes theoretical and practical elements, and Concor Mining Services says that it ensures new operators become comfortable with site operations by working under the supervision of experienced operators for a period of time.

“The impact of the training can be clearly seen in our safety and performance indicators, which show employees really benefit from the skills development process,” says Fourie. “We can also confirm the quality of the learning outcomes by the number of our trainees who move on to work for other employers in the sector – including our mining customers.”

He points to the significance of a full qualification like the certificate in rock breaking, which enables a person to become an opencast blaster.

“The mining sector is highly regulated, especially in terms of health and safety, so there is no short cut to reach the required levels of awareness and expertise,” he says. “To comply with these regulations, the breadth and depth of knowledge that employees must learn and apply is both intensive and detailed.”

The company says its skills matrix is designed to balance employer’s needs for management, technology, operational and technical training.

“At the same time, courses we run such as first aid and firefighting add considerable value within our employees’ communities, as they empower individuals to respond to demanding situations outside of the workplace as well,” he adds.

Concor Mining Services asserts that over 95% of surface mining operators employed by the company have earned industry-recognised certification, which helps to ensure the safety and productivity of each project and of the mining sector more broadly.