Human Capital
Human Capital
This capital consists of people’s health, knowledge, skills and motivation, all which is needed for productive work. Enhancing human capital through education and training is central to the success of the Company.. As part of its human capital management commitment, Wesizwe addresses safety and occupational health; human resource development; intellectual capital and knowledge management; protection of human rights; and the development of housing to support the company’s workforce in the community.
Employee Health and Wellness
Employee health and wellness is of high importance to Wesizwe. Our aim is to mitigate against all workplace accidents, injuries and illnesses to achieve a zero harm record and improve and maximize a productive workforce, we put the highest priority on healthy practices in the lives of our employees.
Our aim is to develop programs that are designed to recognize, evaluate and control the health hazards associated with mining activities, and educate our employee’s as well as community members on how to take better care of their health. We are committed to a vision that seeks to ensure that all our employees are as healthy as practically possible when they leave us, in order to achieve a zero harm record. Healthy members of the community are also a fundamental part of our vision, as the community also plays a key role in our business success. We strive to ensure that our employees and community members best health is catered for.
Human Resource Development Programme
The primary objective of a human resource development (HRD) Programme is to ensure the availability of mining specific skills and competencies within the workforce. Wesizwe is well aware of the socio-economic pressure on the Ledig and Phatsima host communities, as alternative work in the surrounding farms and mines is limited. Wesizwe has undertaken to focus on local recruitment for the life of the mine, to this end the company has committed to source at least 30% of the entire labour force from these communities. In addition, the company has implemented the following measures to achieve the Skills Development Plan.
Portable Skills
Wesizwe Platinum embarked on a project to offer training opportunities for the local community located in the vicinity of our mine site. The project saw 210 young community members being offered accredited training opportunities in the fields of Welding, bricklaying, tiling, plumbing and painting.
The main aim of this Programme was to enhance employability within the host communities as well as to equip learners with the ability to create their own businesses if they so wish. 155 learners who completed the training were assessed and declared competent. Below are some of the pictures of learners during training.
Learnerships
Wesizwe periodically offers learnerships in the fields of Mining Engineering, Electrical Engineering as well as Mechanical Engineering. In the past the company also entered into a partnership with Worley Parsons to offer industry related computer Aided drawing (CAD)learnerships. In the past five years Wesizwe offered 108 accredited learnerships to young people, most of which have found employment opportunities within the industry.
Furthermore, Wesizwe has committed to offer more young people training through HRD Initiatives that are linked to its Social and Labour Plan.
Internships
Internships are aimed at providing quality workplace exposure to young graduates and artisans in the core and support functions of the business in order to improve their employment potential. 42 young graduates have been offered internships in the fields of mining, engineering, finance, Human Resources and Safety.
Core Business Skills
Core business training interventions are conducted on site in order to comply to the prescripts of the Mine Health and Safety Act. Annual compulsory training such as Induction and operator license renewals as well as initial training take place at the newly constructed training Centre on site. The main objective for 2019 is to obtain accreditation for the Centre from the sector SETA.
Bursaries and Post Matric Support
Wesizwe provides bursary opportunities to students engaged in courses of study aligned to our operational needs. In the past five years 50 students were able to fund their education through bursaries offered by Wesizwe. The company also offers career path aligned internal study support to qualifying employees. This is done to maintain a skilled workforce and to enhance the promotional opportunities for talented employees.