Studies that will be presented in the wake of the Seminar on Human Capital Management in Mining- HRMINING- indicate that the participation of females in mining has reached 7.7% and that there are some key factors that can be applied in order to increase this figure.
While millions of dollars are being invested in the Chilean mining industry, at the same time there is a real deficit of qualified professionals and technicians to work on new projects. Fundación Chile’s study on the Labour Force in Chilean Mining shows that within the next 10 years these projects and investments will require close to 45 million new employees.
These figures have forced the industry to find solutions which will improve training and productivity as well as incorporate more women in mining, a population which currently represents a mere 7.7% of the employees in the sector.
The relevance of this increase of women in the mining labour force is one of the themes that will be addressed in the 2nd International Seminar on Human Capital Management in Mining- Hrmining 2012- an event that will include 38 presentations from 7 countries, taking place from 7-9 November at the Sheraton Hotel in Santiago.
One of the highlighted presentations will be given by Elisa Rojas and Javiera Díaz-Muñoz from Adecco, Chile. Based on studies conducted between 2011 and 2012, the authors propose various ways in which to alleviate the shortage of professionals and technicians that is so prevalent in the sector today. Amongst the three variables that can help with human resources shortages, the authors argue recruiting more women as their first point.
Moreover, Elizabeth Ayala from Fundación Chile and the Universidad de Chile will present a study at Hrmining whose objective is to identify the main obstacles of incorporating women in mining. Her presentation explores dimensions such as mining culture, and organisational and leadership factors.
In her presentation Ayala analyses the difficulties that women face in the mining labour force. She discusses the necessity a woman feels to validate herself in a predominately male culture as well as dimensions of organisational factors which include infrastructure, gender equality, and welfare.
Hrmining is organised by Gecamin and the Centre for Human Capital Innovation at the Fundación Chile, and is presided by Alex Jaques, Vice-President of Human Resources at BHP Billiton Base Metals, Chile.
The event will include four discussion panels surrounding the initiatives for developing the mining labour force in Chile, best training practices used by supplier companies, the human resources situation in other mining countries, and the attraction and livability of mining sites and cities.
Additionally, the programme includes a professional development course entitled “Managing Human Capital in a Mining Environment” which will be given by experts from the Centro Minero Innovum at the Fundación Chile on 6 and 7 November.
For more information visit www.hrmining2012.com
