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MINERALS INDUSTRY EDUCATION AND TRAINING II
Support and develop staff
Give academics industry experience. Most of the lecturers come straight
from PhD or MSc studies and have no access to industry mentorship.
Use existing experienced staff to transfer skills to new staff. Average of
academics in mineral processing is >50 so there is serious risk of losing
skills if they are not transferred.
Provide networking opportunities for staff with other professionals in
the industry.
Support staff to develop their skills. Offer online courses, professional
development programs and sabbatical programs.
Run educational programs for teaching and support academic staff on
the importance of good educational design and delivery of technology-
assisted learning. Use technology to support these programs –
videoconferencing and online content.
Provide material assistance and training to lecturers in developing
countries where minerals processing is taught and the economy of
those countries rely on Mining.
Develop programs that encourage academic staff to regularly attend
conferences and workshops.
Ensure that networking and collaboration is attractive to staff and
University management, and doesn’t add to the workload of individual
academics.
Strengthen program viability
Communicate with stakeholders including employers, feeder schools
and others via steering committees and technical panels about courses
and programs.
Remain mindful of the fact that universities cannot take a short term
focus – they must step back and focus on the long term knowledge and
skills needs.
Reduce the pressure on University departments during downturns. Set
up long-term strategies that address the fluctuation in student numbers
that inevitably occurs with the mining cycle.
12 Section 1
