WINNING THE WAR FOR TALENT IN A COMPETITIVE MINING ENVIRONMENT
In May 2021, News24 reported that the mining sector contributes 8.2% to South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In a highly competitive market, attracting and retaining specialist skills is a critical component to success.
According to Patrick Metswi, Group Services Manager (Head of HR, Legal and Compliance) at Minopex, a DRA Global Company, one of the keys to remaining an employer of choice is a sound talent management strategy.
The Minopex Talent Management model: Driving Value
The Minopex model centres around planning talent needs based on our strategic business priorities both in the present and with a future-focus. With this backdrop we can attract, develop and retain not only top talent, but promising graduates too, says Patrick.
Our business is always evolving and with a renewed focus on talent management going forward, our people will experience enhanced career offerings like personal development planning, career conversations and robust performance management. All of these interventions support our people in identifying and achieving their development and career goals.
While we continuously strive to be the employer of choice and to extend our talent pool, we firmly believe that we must simultaneously build capability internally. This approach has proven to foster future business growth, while building a solid talent pipeline.
Pivot to pro-active talent management
In a world that seeks value at every interaction, retaining talent goes further than creating an enjoyable, challenging work environment and shifts focus to include robust succession planning for critical roles and retention planning for our high potential and critical employees.
Successful retention and succession planning closely supports the business strategy and priorities and is based on market opportunities as well as understanding the skills needed both now and in the future for sustainable business growth.
The Talent strategy should also focus on understanding the career goals and aspirations of our people and matching those to exciting development opportunities, career experiences and reward and recognition interventions.
With this approach we are laying the foundation to assemble a talent pool of exceptional people. Our employees, their development, and their unique skills are critical component to our unique value proposition, Patrick concluded.
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The way we operate in the mining industry is evolving at a rapid pace. From designing economically viable mines for complex ore bodies, to running the digital race and keeping up with new technology, the pressure is on to develop a highly skilled workforce that can deliver the necessary needs of the industry.
While academic institutions provide the foundation for our future workforce, the more immediate requirement for each company is to provide practical upskilling opportunities which would ensure the success and long-term sustainability for the organisation and the industry. As a long-term strategy, organisations should work with academic institutions to identify the future capability gaps, then modify and design a suitable learning and development path for the next generation.
According to Rashnee Chetty, Group Technical and Business Improvement Manager at Minopex, a DRA Global Group company, organisation and graduates need to commit to learning and development after academic studies to drive the evolution of the workforce. Most engineering academics are taught according to steady state laws, perfect theoretical scenarios and are given the perception that time is irrelevant. Furthermore, it is based on the 2nd Industrial Revolution framework. In business and with the 4th Industrial Revolution in mind, this is the furthest from reality. We now find ourselves in a fast-paced, quick decision-making and constantly changing society, which requires leadership, critical thinking, creativity, interpersonal and empathy skills.
An interesting quote by Alvin Toffler, still very much relevant today, states that: The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. This view is indeed relevant in the sense that the current workforce will need to obtain skills and education to ensure the success of future industries and must be agile enough to obtain in demand skills and experience.
Enter the Minopex Engineer in Training Programme
Minopex, understand the learning and development needs of today and the future. We have developed and implemented a programme that motivates employees to unlock their full potential, while cementing the power of a values-based culture.
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