Given the current eco-nomic climate, one that has turned many markets on its head, engineer recruit-ment agency Network Engi-neering is making an effort to ensure that the mining indus-try still grows skills and that the effort impacts on the South African economy in a positive way, through the proposed implementation of project teams.
“The mining industry has been hit hard by a shortage of skills over the past few years, for which it has spent much time, energy and resources developing a workable solution. However, even as these skills are being sourced, the mines cannot accommodate newly hired employees and are being forced to retrench staff.
Many operations even closed their doors over thquartz crushing and grinding equipmente festive season,” says Network Engineering GM Petro Joubert.
The traditional benefit associated with project teams is that they bring a variety of skills into the project mix and, under the appropriate leader or project manager, have historically shown the potential for project success to be high, she says. The idea is to transplant a successful project temoveable rock crushers 250tpham, one in which individuals are aware of their strengths, weaknesses and differing working styles, and place the team at the helm of many different projects.
“Large mining projects are under way throughout South Africa and the rest of the world, and, while the projects may differ in terms of scale, focus and location, all projects have commonalities: they need an experienced project team and copper ore crushing plant thailandthey have a lifespan.
“The problem, however, is that this experienced team typically needs to be permanently employed to ensure that the skills are readily available for other projects that may arise, resulting in a cost implication for the company. Further, large projects that can accommodate all staff are not always guaranteed,” says Joubert.
“Any large project is a costly initistone crusher equipment in chinaative, but one that is likely to see fruition within time and budget constraints if undertaken by an experienced project team. Having such a team readily on hand for such projects within the mining industry is, therefore, critical,” she adds.
However, once the project is completed, the mining company is presented with the challenge of assigning additional work for the permanently employed team, until another large project is initiated.
The company does not have to permanently employ the team, but rather use its skills for specific projects, allowing resources to be deployed efficiently and saving money. This also facilitates knowledge sharing. A number of advantages exist for the engineers or mining consultants themselves, as they are able to work on a diverse range of projects in different industries, ensuring they remain stimulated and gain much experience, while substantially furthering their credentials.
Further, Joubert says that this concept would drive skills development as it would provide job opportunities for the older or retired engineers who are struggling to find jobs in the turbulent market. This would allow younger, newly qualified candidates to gain a mentor with more experience.
“Through collaboration, such an initiative can help alleviate the skills shortage in mining and engineering, mitigate project risks, save money and use resources effectively,” says Jou-bert. “However, to get this con-cept off the ground, the industry would need to implement a different way of thinking and embrace the concepts of collaboration, trust and transparency.”