I’ve been preaching to anyone who will listen that the mining industry has a skills gap, lack of knowledge transfer and generally not enough people to go around.
So, what do I think we should do about it?
Upskill.
What is ‘Upskilling’?
Upskilling is essentially teaching your existing employees additional skills (that add value to your organization). The goal is to create a lean, agile, more well-rounded, and cross-trained workforce. Upskilling typically results in cost savings compared to hiring additional talent for a specific skill set that a company may be missing. It also improves employee engagement and results in enhanced personal and team effectiveness.
COVID-19 has exposed the need for us to be more agile. It has also in many cases provided flexibility to hire employees who are not located near operations, and/or allow for remote working options. With this, it is necessary to employ tools that enable collaboration and knowledge transfer since teams are not always in the same physical location.
Under normal circumstances our industry has found it challenging to dedicate the time/resources to knowledge transfer, cross-training and mentoring. How, do we do it now, with distributed work models or when we have employees working on rotation? Micro-Training/Learning.
What is Micro-Training/Learning?
Micro-training is a tool used to break down employee training into small, bite-sized pieces (short courses), that are designed to meet specific learning outcomes and organizational needs. They are customizable, inexpensive, and have no barriers to entry. Organizations can design their own micro-training courses to meet their organization’s (and employees’) specific needs. There are numerous micro-training platforms (Shift E-Learning, Social Talent, Master-O, LearnUpon, etc.) available and limitless possibilities to the course objectives.
Using technology, we can begin to address some of our knowledge transfer and skills gap issues within our industry. We also have the tools (Microsoft Teams, Google, Zoom, etc.) to engage with one another remotely to enhance our organizational cultures, teams and mentor/mentee relationships.
On top of the organizational benefits to upskilling using microlearning, many employees are eager to expand their skillsets and progress in their careers and see this as a benefit comparable to a 401k or subsidized health care. Many employees are already seeking new skills and learning opportunities. If your organization provides employees the opportunity to learn and grow, this could attract new talent to your organization, enhance your culture and ultimately increase employee retention.
Rather than looking outside your organization, look within first!
Looking for help hiring for? Email me at [email protected]
If you’re looking to make a career change, MRC can help connect with us or submit your resume.