Accurately characterising mining in the digital era is an interesting exercise, Wits Mining Institute (WMI) head Professor Fred Cawood notes, commenting on the array of buzz words such ‘the future of mining’, ‘mining into the future’, ‘mining 4.0’, ‘digital mining’, ‘smart mining’ and ‘intelligent mining’.

He is partial towards the term ‘mining into the future’, “because it implies there is a transition from today to the future, whenever it is”.

Similarly, he and the WMI use ‘twenty-first century mining’ because the industry is already 20 years in, enabling the WMI to examine trends to about 2030.

“After that, we simply do not know what mining will look like.”

Both the looming unknown of the ‘future of mining’ and the industry progression towards this ephemeral state require research and preparation, the latter necessitating the development of new and varied skills.

The WMI and its sister organisation, the Centre for Sustainability in Mining and Industry, have partnered with consulting firm Synergy Global to deliver training across Africa. The four training courses lead to a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 6 qualification.

“Each course is also available to delegates as a certificate of either attendance or competence. The Wits-Synergy partnership is in its seventh year, with between 70 and 120 delegates qualifying in this area every year.”

Cawood says that this partnership has resulted in a significant acceleration of African skills in community relations practice.

The WMI is in consultation with Synergy Global and the relevant schools at the University of the Witwatersrand in order to raise the level of the qualification to NQF 9, making it a master’s degree qualification.

“The need for twenty-first-century skills for the mining cluster, especially at NQF levels 5 to 7, is at an unprecedented high. The future of work has already started in the mining space, while government, companies and the current workforce are positioning themselves for this future. This is responsible mining.”