The variety of careers on offer in the mining sector would surprise many who can’t see beyond the stereotypes – male dominated, manual labour or geology specialists. In fact, the diversity of careers in mining has never been greater, and it is increasing all the time.
Here are five jobs at Anglo American that some people wouldn’t expect but are crucial in re-inventing our industry and our world.
Communities are the places our people call home, our closest neighbours, and stewards of the land entrusted to us. That’s why our dedicated community relations team work closely with local governments, community leaders, and NGOs to contribute to community needs: from housing and infrastructure to healthcare, education and recreation.
A career in community relations enables our people to build relationships with local communities through hosting regular meetings, for example, where they listen to the concerns and discuss social and environmental impacts of our operations. With the in-depth knowledge of local matters, community relations managers are empowered to figure out where we can make the best social investments to support each respective community’s infrastructure.
Mining is data-rich, from the temperature of truck tires to the speed of impellers on a pump, so the potential applications are truly immense. We’re proud to have an amazing team of data analysts that are relentlessly curious to find better ways to present this data as information.
Their work has been particularly vital in our pursuit of zero-harm. Together with our Occupational Health team, for example, our information managers built an Operational Intelligence Suite (OiS), a real-time data analytics platform that interrogates data feeds, manual uploads, and events. The tool allows our colleagues to make the right decision, at speed, when things go wrong, in terms of performance and health and safety at our mine sites.
Learning never stops in the mining industry and continuous improvement by ensuring the workforce is equipped with the skills and capabilities required for current and future success is absolutely key.
This is why the Learning and Development team is so important at Anglo American, which among other things, is responsible for building partnerships in the formal and informal learning sectors, including schools and independent training providers. They not only develop training opportunities for people already working at Anglo American, but also help design progression routes into Anglo American for those that are keen to develop a career in mining.
The mining industry is constantly looking for ways to bring in mobility to improve mining operations and mining officials’ ability to track issues or communicate with workers.
Mobile app developers are continuously working on solutions to address these challenges, making sure the industry has the right technology to deliver a truly modern, safe, and productive mine that addresses the increased demand for mined materials. For example, our app development team was responsible for creating a field app, accessed via a tablet, that is used to register materials extracted from the mine.
Whether through social media channels or working with respected media publications, the way the mining industry communicates its vision and what we do every day is critical for our success.
From challenging existing perceptions surrounding the mining industry, to telling the stories of people driving Anglo American forward, our communication team is always looking for improved ways to connect with all our stakeholders.
