Mining in the twenty-first century and its world of work: Considerations for universities offering mining qualifications

Wits Mining Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, 3 Private Bag, 2050 Wits, South Africa

^* Corresponding author: Frederick.Cawood@wits.ac.za

Abstract

The intelligent digital mine of the future will look very different to what we have today; it will be managed differently, have different skill-sets, and will be staffed by professions that do not exist today. While mining in the 20th century was about ‘more’ (more production, for example), the 21st century is about ‘better’ (safer production, for example). This article investigates this fundamental shift from ‘more’ to ‘better’ by examining how the current international trends affect mining and its world of work. There are clear indications that the future of work requires a re-evaluation of skills-sets, qualifications and certification thereof. Although this shift creates a problem for current mine occupations with outdated skills-sets, there are many new opportunities for those who update their skills and knowledge so that they remain (or become) relevant in a cross-industry 21st century context. The approach followed in this article is an interpretation of how the fourth industrial revolution affects the world – and mining in particular – followed by a conceptual analysis of how it is shaping the future of work for mining. The fundamental learning content for a future-ready mining engineering graduate is then addressed. The findings of this article will benefit mining in general, but more particularly universities, skills providers and, most important, the youth who are preparing themselves for this world of work in mining.