Flipping the Employment Deficit Conversation
The mining sector has a dwindling talent pipeline. We know this, we discuss this, and we often talk about solving this. Our conversations at association meetings, conferences, and in our teams are often directed at how we are going to employ enough people today to meet our supply and demand needs of tomorrow and how the education programs for geoscience and engineering are becoming watered down or worse, are at risk of cancellation.
These are real concerns and valid conversations. These are conversations that, as a sector, require cross-collaborative solutions. As I am forever the out-of-the-box problem solver, I propose another perspective.
We need to attract more communicators to the sector.
Communicators focus on developing messaging, creating alliances, and creating synergies. We naturally look at problems from different angles, and due to our nature, we talk a lot. We distill the technical into the accessible and create relationships to progress projects.
Story-time:
When working with service providers, site visits were one of the most important aspects of my job. As a talent focussing on growth, these visits helped me contextualize what we were attempting to execute and, even more importantly, understand the pressures my colleagues at sites were experiencing daily.
Why is this important?
To communicate effectively to our target and to implement or grow services, we need to have context. Understanding the footprint of a lab helps to develop the story of how we build it. Seeing the pressures of the talent in the lab helps to understand the staffing levels required to operate it safely. It creates trust in our teams and deepens our communication of how our clients will benefit from the service.
To further the story, I talked with a colleague visiting a site and staying close to one of our commercial facilities. It came up that they would not see the facility because they weren’t sure of its value.
I was baffled - site visits in a growth role, which I was in and was this person, are the most critical part of the job.
How does this relate to mitigating the talent deficit?
Communicators will develop the story of why mining is an essential part of society, how it is a sector of adventure, and why it can be one of the most rewarding sectors in which one can grow.
Furthermore, we build trust. We speak to our communities, stakeholders, and rights holders about our plans and operations. We can push leadership to talk with authenticity and vulnerability, which leads to trust. We help prepare leadership to speak to prospective talent and actively search out new ways for our organizations to become more involved with outreach and advocacy. When combined with first-hand experience on-site, we can provide a deep and realistic understanding of what roles require and what our careers can provide.
Finally, we are natural collaborators. We can develop cohesive and strategic messaging by getting communicators in a room attached to owners/operators, associations, and service providers. For the mining sector to thrive, a strong message across many participants helps to reinforce the message. We understand communication channels and how to reach people.
Solving significant challenges, with the talent deficit being one of the most prevalent, means having different points of view. The sector should focus on more than just the traditional technical talent requirements and take a 360-view of how to reach new participants. At your association meetings, conferences, and board rooms, ask how different, non-traditional roles can help to solve these challenges. Look outside the box, engage new thinkers, connect, and develop communications. At this point - what do we have to lose?