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JuniorTukkie November 2021
Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
Is mining engineering still an option for aspiring students? By Prof Ronny Webber-Youngman
A research report by Swan Global Investments investigated the mining skills gap. It states that, for the next 25 years, there will be a high demand for metals in the world to meet the requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The report says that universities need to address the skills shortage in the industry as students’ interest in mining declines. Because fewer young people think that mining is an option for them, the mining industry is characterised by an ageing workforce that needs to be replenished.
The report also highlights five key areas driving the lack of interest in mining: 1. A lack of information on mining 2. Climate change 3. Resistance to coal-fired power stations (which are detrimental to a healthy lifestyle) 4. Uncertainty in job opportunities due to the cyclical nature of mining 5. Politics According to Prof Francois Malan, the function head for research in the Department of Mining Engineering in the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, commodity cycles are part of mining, and the next supercycle is probably not far away. In the next mining supercycle, capital will flow into the mining industry on a much larger scale than ever before. Because the in-flow of new mining students is currently so slow, there will be a severe skills shortage in the mining industry when the next supercycle hits. The industry will then have to lure good students with attractive benefits. Mining
engineers will require skills that have previously been thought to reside in the domain of computer engineering and computer science, which means that there is an opportunity for students with IT strengths to join the mining industry of the future. Because the mining industry is adopting new technologies, the industry should become even more attractive to a new generation of tech-savvy students who are born into a technologically advanced world. The multidisciplinary nature of the future mining industry will also attract students with an interest in other engineering disciplines, but with a foundation in mining engineering. In addition to conventional mining engineering skills, mining engineering will also be an option for young people who are keen to develop leadership skills to get the most out of other people. In addition, the increased focus on smart technology related to the 4IR will ensure that the career prospects for mining engineers will be even more diverse and exciting. Graduates who are trained in the skills required for the modern workforce are creative, innovative thinkers, and are prepared to deal with the complexities that the mining industry presents. Mining is no longer merely a maledominated domain. In the digital age, mining operations can be controlled from afar, which minimises workers’ exposure to harsh conditions. This offers a much wider scope of opportunities for young women who have critical and creative thinking skills and are challenged to solve complex problems. Young engineers who studied in the Department of Mining Engineering are
very positive about the viability of mining engineering as a career option. It has been said that there has never been a perfect mine, and until there is, there will always be problems to solve and the chance to add value. The nature of mining means that conventional miners can saturate in the industry, but for exactly this reason, the demand for imaginative individuals has never been higher. Mineral resources are still among the country’s primary sources of raw material and make a big contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). For this reason, mining will remain a viable career option. Added to this is the expected demand for new minerals such as rare earth elements that are used in cutting-edge technologies, and the prospect of asteroid mining and deepmarine mining. According to Prof WebberYoungman, Head of the Department of Mining Engineering, these future mining applications will open up new avenues for mining as a career with the potential to continue for many years to come. In the future, mining will be the key player in the development of more sustainable societies and more environmentally conscious systems. As long as there is a demand for more effective materials and methodologies, mining engineers who enter the industry will need to find innovative ways to deal with outdated techniques, mines that do not take the social needs of the surrounding communities into account, and unsustainable methods with negative environmental impacts. These inherited problems require new ways of thinking to find innovative solutions. The Department of Mining Engineering nurtures its students to solve exactly these problems.
