To support its full flowsheet technology capabilities, FLSmidth is continuously developing vital skills at its well-resourced Training Academy at the company’s Chloorkop Service Centre in Gauteng.
According to the FLSmidth Training Academy Head Steve Parkinson, the training underpins the ground-up succession strategy of ensuring long term competence within the business – with the depth to embrace evolving technologies that continuously improve its offerings.
“Our considerable investment in skills development nurtures local talent to provide us with a strong pipeline of relevant and quality expertise,” says Parkinson. “This knowledge base is shared within FLSmidth not only across the continent but globally. At the same time, we invariably train more people than we can absorb, so we provide a rich resource of trained individuals for other players in the local mining and engineering sectors – including our customers and competitors.”
FLSmidth
Through a rigorous selection process countrywide that targets unemployed youth under 26 years old, 10 apprentices are enrolled every year at the academy. They spend three years in formalized training towards their qualification and future role as an artisan. FLSmidth employs as many as it can accommodate within its resource planning and budgeting; the company also goes the extra mile in trying to find placements for the others, either among its customers or the broader industry.
