Mining companies are competing to attract and hire the top talent from a shrinking pool of candidates. This includes core roles such as mining engineers, planners, geologists, master mechanics, and skills in emerging areas such as energy efficiency, interpreting big data, and creating digital twins. According to one study by the World Economic Forum, the average skillset of the mining employee is likely to change by 40% within 4 years.Â
However, additional personnel may not be the answer to improving the completion of assignments. More importantly, it should never be Plan A. Flexibility is almost always more valuable than specialisation. A detailed analysis must be conducted to map existing talent to current and future requirements from commissioning to final reclamation. Conditions at site may change quickly and will change certainly through the phases of your life of mine.
Some of these changes can be planned in advance: cutoff grade, stockpile locations, haul or convey, process or leach, and aging equipment. Other changes are more difficult to anticipate such as support from governments and jurisdictions, DEI, ESG, big data, spot prices, contractors, energy grids, or the transition from expats to nationals. Renoir Consulting and our specialist mining practice have deep experience working with our clients to map and navigate these skills requirements at varying stages of your investment using our proprietary skills flexibility matrix. Â
Ready for a change in your organisation?
Many mining organisations conduct training sessions, in controlled environments conducive to delivering information, and provide certificates to participants that can foster team spirit. This is excellent, but the application of those new techniques, tools and behaviors is rarely noticeable without proper coaching in their actual work environments.
Renoir Consulting delivers hands-on, peer level, coaching programs for your team based on their organisational level. Our team members, including former COOs, GMs, Geologist, Planners, and Master Mechanics are uniquely qualified to work with your staff at each level of your organisation. This combination of empathy and knowledge is the most powerful way to grow your people now and identify potential leaders for the future.
Build a skills flexibility matrix to identify and address skill gaps.
