Continuous employee development is critical to maintain a skills pipeline in the mining and exploration industry, says Carlo Claassens, Head of Training and Development at leading drilling technology solutions provider Rosond of Midrand.

The company currently has four training centres located in Thabazimbi, Rustenburg, Fochville, and Kathu, where it offers operational training courses ranging from health and safety to First Aid, basic firefighting, working at heights, lifting equipment, machine specific training, and leadership and management training. The training is SETA-accredited and encompasses various Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) programmes.

All training staff are accredited assessors, facilitators, and moderators. “We do outsource some training to our preferred providers from time to time,” adds Claassens. Apart from in-house training, Rosond offers different learnerships from contact centre to project and business management opportunities. The company provides bursaries for different disciplines such as geology, IT, and engineering.

Reflecting on the past year, a standout candidate of the Rosond training programme has been Ms. M Mona. “As a young aspiring female entering the world of drilling, the odds were stacked against her. However, through training and technological advancements in the industry, Ms. Mona became one of our first female drillers and is thriving in her role,” highlights Claassens.

His message to youth and women in particular who are contemplating a similar career path is to “embrace all your opportunities and never feel that training or development is above or below you. You have the power to direct your own future. Anything is possible with the right mindset, training, and perseverance.”

Claassens’ main role is to ensure that employees are trained in all relevant health and safety aspects and operational proficiency. Operators are ranked using defined criteria with the main objective to identify and close any proficiency gaps therefore reach optimal levels of performance. This includes all client-related mandatory training, as well as operational training pertaining to the fleet of machines used on a specific project.

Custom documents are drafted in consultation with the client to ensure its needs are met in terms of what they expect from a training perspective. Each project comes with its own challenges, risks, and hazards, and therefore it is best to tailor training for a specific project without jeopardising its quality or efficacy.

Claassens’ role includes designing and developing training material to be used for new novice employees through to management roles. From personally facilitating across the four training centres, as well as on projects in Botswana and Mozambique, Claassens oversees a team of ten full-time trainers managing these centres.