Global metals miner First Quantum Minerals (FQM) says sophisticated software is helping to track core competences and help management at its Sentinel mine, in Zambia, to boost the skills of its workforce.

The mine, based in the North-Western province of the country, is using a high-tech approach to bridge any knowledge gaps as part of its recognition that a highly skilled labour force is an important enabler to the sustainability of the Zambian mining sector.

“If we want to get our employees up to standard, we need to be systematic and organised, hence the new system. Zambia benefits enormously from direct exposure to these skills,” says the mine’s operating company Kalumbila Minerals human resources manager Brighton Mwiinga.

Consistent with FQM's local employment policy that gives preference to people from surrounding communities, over 90% of the firm’s 6 000 employees are Zambians.

As the mining industry continues to push the boundaries of automation, the country’s largest copper miner believes a long-term solution is necessary to maintain the average Zambian’s relevance in the national labour pool.

Mwiinga notes that the mining firm’s in-house training management system, called In-Tuition, enables the company to monitor gaps in the efficient execution of duties.

“There are various software programmes that drive the components of the process plant, and these have to be custom-modified to be able to speak to each other and automatically adjust to various changes in composition. This is not just a simple mechanical process, there is a lot of computer science involved,” he explains.

Mwiinga further points out that the mills at Sentinel are some of the biggest in the world, hence it should come as no surprise that skilled labour in this field is in short supply for a country like Zambia – which is still in the process of unlocking its industrialisation potential.

Working in partnership with renowned trade schools in the North-Western and Copperbelt provinces, the mine has incentivised the diversification of intake to not only focus on mechanical and electrical trades, but also encourage students to move into nontechnical fields like administration and occupational health and safety.

The company has also put in place a provision to allow outstanding students from the mine’s vocational training programmes to have easier access to tertiary level training at some of the country’s most notable colleges.