GeoTech and 4IR: Disciplines uniting for 21st Century Mining

by Prof. FT Cawood, Wits University 22 July 2019

1922 2019

FT Cawood Wits Mining Institute Slide 2

WITS UNIVERSITY AND MINING

WITS MINING INSTITUTE (WMI)

3

GLOBAL TREND

Scarcity of mineral reserves and global search for 21st C metals

Expensive, unreliable infrastructure restricts Africa

Persistent attention with more benefit provided by Cos

Capital for mining is becoming more scarce (Risk and Return)

Political economy is fuelling resource nationalism

Global push for technology adoption in mining

Growing need for new skills-sets with retrenchment of old skills

FUTURE

Grow current stock, go remote and search for 21st C metals

If not improved, poor growth

and persistent African poverty

Mining companies taking on

some State responsibilities

Efficiency, pricing and finance

options for better returns

State’s increasing role and definition of sustainable mining

FoM and its FoW: Intelligent mining and prospecting

New curricula for 21st century skills-sets and re/up skilling

4

Requires a shared vision

WHY?

THE FUTURE OF MINING REQUIRES RESEARCH TODAY

Mining has to find new ways to

• Create more value/benefit

• Invest in sustainable development

• Modernise and introduce technology responsibly for the SAn context

Implication: mine of the future will

• Be, Look and Managed differently

• Be staffed by professions that do not exist today

• It requires fresh thinking like what happened during the Renaissance period: A Da Vinci model…

5

http://www.miningweekly.com/articl

e/communities-seeking-economic-

benefit-from-mining-2011-07-08

SKILLS ARE CHANGING

• Sustainability of Mining

• Technology and Mining

• Community development

Levels

• Professional

• Technician & Artisan

6

Underground mining –From the top!

Beyond mining skills – Alignment with local economy

Future of Work (also of Mining)

• Intelligent production with machines working and sensors observing

• Data-rich environments and work spaces

• Workspaces with info in clouds and not in a cabinet next to a dedicated desk

• Highly mobile, skilled workers employable in several economic sectors

• The market place is where one is (Affects costs and pricing)

• Archaic management has no place (Reward for bottom-up creativity)

• Human beings who are either part-machines or have digital assistants

• Governance and ethics in the workplace a must

• The world is watching (Responsible business for a transparent earth)

7

Skills for the Future of Mining

• Service technician skills (e.g. Mechanics, Electrics and Electronics)

• Mining technician skills (GeoTech: Economics, Ventilation, Survey, Rock Eng)

• Value-based ‘green’ skills (e.g. what is happening in architecture and Japan)

• Business-by-database skills (Smart exploration and sourcing market goods)

• Thinking forward skills (Statistics, pattern recognition and creativity)

• Risk management using digital systems (GIS and sensing technology skills)

• Sensitivity and ‘sensing’ skills (Assertive, interpersonal/cultural comms)

• Ability to work and collaborate within a framework of values and trust

• ET-et must come home (Evaluate Think – experiment try again)

8

Universities and the FoW

• VR, MR and AR propel learners into a FoW space (New PPT lecturing skill)

• On-the-job training is a threat to university learning (Teach for relevance)

• Enable life-long learning for both graduates and other non-graduates

• Relevance is the measure, i.e. research for innovation rather than for degrees

• Re-thinking qualifications e.g. Is a Masters Degree a true measure of Master?

• Become part of the solution to youth unemployment – The jobless graduate!

• Accept the FoW inter-disciplinary workplace and prepare graduates for it

9

Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education: Martin Luther King Jr.

The 21st century = Collaborative

• For tech to sense like humans, we need disciplines of all types

• To break down the silos we need leadership and governance skills

• Interdisciplinary work requires a systems thinking approach

• Explore what it means to develop the “Certified, Global Mining 4.0 Graduate”

10

In the 20th century (and still the case at the start of the 21st century) there were skills and there were qualifications. Skill was recognised through salary and qualifications gave promotion. The challenge for the 21st century is to recognise skill and qualification on one certificate that is rewarded with – a job!

Fred Cawood, 2019

11

Certification of a Global Mining 4.0 GeoTech Professional – As one Qualification with flexible electives

Wits-NUST Partnership

• Qualification: Master/Doctor

• Gap qualifications: Certificates

• Technologies: Real data

• Techniques: Skills for…

The traditional University model

12

Legacy of earlier 1-3 IR: Faculty silos allowing for variousoutcomes at different levels in deep disciplines within a single university

Science CLM Eng Human

Un

de

r gr

adu

ate

Mas

ter

Ph

DB

asic

Digital Mining Multi-disciplinary

HGF

Lead

ersh

ip

ED

Eco

no

mic

s

CBAGIS

Co

din

g

The 21st century University model

13

Credits from other disciplines and universities (often international) for 21st century relevance in e.g. Masters Certification in Digital Mining

Sciences

Commerce, Law and

Management Engineering Humanities

Un

der

gr

adu

ate

Mas

ters

Ph

DB

asic

Digital MiningMulti disciplinary

HGF

Lead

ersh

ip

ED

Eco

no

mic

s

CBAGIS

Co

din

g

SciencesCommerce,

Law and Management

Engineering humanities

Un

der

gr

adu

ate

Mas

ters

Ph

DB

asic

Digital MiningMulti-disciplinary

www.wits.ac.za/wmi/www.wits.ac.za/wmi/