Remarks by Ms Susan Shabangu, Minister of Mineral Resources, at the ceremony to award bursaries to first year mining engineering students at Wits University, 19 October 2011
19 Oct 2011
Greetings and welcome
It is a great pleasure to be associated with an occasion of such significance and value to the sector in which most of us are involved.
Indeed, today we gather at the beginning of the university careers of 16 promising students in the first year of their studies at Wits. And it is a pleasure to note that they proceed with the backing of the department which I am honoured to lead as Minister.
We are all aware of this country’s enormous need for highly skilled people who understand the intricacies and challenges of industries and agencies which play an underpinning role in our nation’s economic success. The sector covering minerals and mining lies at the very base of that success, and has been there for well over a century.
Yet sight should not be lost of how dramatically our industry has been transformed since South Africa became a democracy in 1994. We now have an explicit Mining Charter, which has been reviewed and updated as necessary, and this guides us into the future. We are dealing with complex problems, for instance to do with the beneficiation era that is now dawning; detailed regulatory matters; and also issues such as abandoned mines, the safety record in our mines, and how to tap the mineral resources of which South Africans are all trustees in ways that are efficient, sustainable and environmentally sound, to name but a few of our challenges.
Our department - and also the industry - needs more skilled personnel to take us into the future. These days we seek far and wide to put together the right team of South Africans who will gain and use these skills. This means that people who were grossly excluded and suffered grievously under the past order in South Africa – blacks, women and others marginalised – will have a real chance, through corrective action, to find their just place in the scheme of things. We are committed to never giving up in this endeavor unless and until it can truly be said that we have finally righted the wrongs of history. That day has not arrived. There is much work still to be done!
We are acutely aware of scarce skills, and the department has researched the subject with due diligence. In fact, the external bursary scheme was established specifically due to scarce and critical skills demand which was indicated in our Human Resource Development Strategy (HRDS). A skills focus group was constituted to identify such scarce and critical skills from three technical branches of the Department of Mineral Resouces (DMR). This exercise identified the following skills shortages per branch:
The Mine Health and Safety branch requires Mining Engineers and Mine Surveyors. The Mineral Regulation branch requires Mine Surveyors and Geologists. The Mineral Policy and Promotion branch requires Metallurgists, Geologists, and Mining Engineers.
It was therefore decided to develop a skills supply pipeline to ensure that the identified skills shortages and high vacancy rate experienced in these fields would be closed. Owing to financial constraints in the department, the Corporate Services branch approached the Mining Qualification Authority (MQA) for assistance and to enter into a partnership. The MQA undertook to offer sixty bursaries to DMR in order to build its internal capacity. Because of the urgency to place students on the bursary scheme, it was decided to recruit first year students who were already enrolled and registered in the engineering fields at various tertiary institutions.
Recruitment was conducted at the following Universities: Wits, University of Johannesburg, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban University of Technology, University of North West, University of Limpopo, Vaal University of Technology, University of Venda, and Walter Sisulu University of Technology. The other criteria used to award bursaries were for financially needy students from families of the poorest of the poor.
In all, 120 students were shortlisted and interviewed by the department. Sixty of them met the criteria. They will be distributed among three different branches, as follows: Mine Health and Safety (20), Mineral Regulation (20), and Mineral Policy and Promotion (20).
The DMR-MQA agreement stipulates that the bursary scheme be implemented from the 2011 academic year for a period of four years. Students will also be placed on an internship programme for two additional years. On completion of the internship, they will be required to serve the department for the number of years for which they have received financial assistance.
So, this is where we stand today, as we all take great pleasure in noting the progress made, leading to this award ceremony. This event will help to send the chosen students on their way through the department and life, with the requisite skills and academic backgrounds to serve the country.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Mineral Resources
19 Oct 2011
| Fishing Report SA | Ndiza Lodge | StLuciaOrgZa | iSimangaliso | Elephant Coast |
Join OfferForge and become a super-affiliate
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please Leave a message