Initiatives to boost diversity under way as only 15% of mining jobs are held by women.
The gender gap in the mining industry will widen if it does not invest in attracting more women to associated careers, in view of the and skills required by the industry, particularly owing to industry 4.0, says diamond company De Beers Group.
To help promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills among female learners, De Beers launched a three-year partnership - focused on South Africa, Namibia and Botswana - with South Africa- based nonprofit organisation (NPO) WomEng last month.
This involves running GirlEng workshops every year for more than 800 girls from the communities around De Beers’ mining operations. The day-long workshops aim
to make STEM relatable and engaging, as well as increase the girls’ awareness of the various careers available by involving external speakers and mentors.
Sixty of the girls from across the three countries will be brought to Johannesburg in March next year to take part in a two—day tech—novation challenge aimed at using technology to create a solution that addresses the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
De Beers also sponsored the WomEng annual fellowship week last month, during which top female engineering students from South Africa, Botswana and Namibia not only focused on a technovation challenge but also received guidance in career, leadership and skills development.
“We are also working with WomEng on how to communicate our employee value
proposition to better attract and retain young diverse talent, providing insight for our human resources teams,” says Fergusson.
