The Aggregate and Sand Producers Association of Southern Africa (Aspasa) is to step up the amount of training it offers to members in order to underpin standards within the industry, while simultaneously improving workforce skills and providing clear career paths.
The association’s director, Nico Pienaar, says that the idea is to expand on the existing seminar and workshop schedule with the addition of in-person courses that will provide intensive, hands-on-education geared to the subject matter and relevant to the industry “It will be a great opportunity to learn from expert trainers and share ideas with people from other companies who might be facing similar challenges.
“In order to ensure the best possible attendance, we also want to make sure that workshops remain cost-effective and that they will be held in regions throughout Southern Africa wherever there is sufficient interest in the subject matter. We also invite Aspasa members, customers and those involved in the opencast quarrying industry to add to the growing list of courses that have been planned for 2017 this far and to comment on information required and course material,” says Pienaar.
He explains that often-run courses such as various health and safety, environment, risk, transport, quality, legal and HR / IR courses will continue to be run, but the number and content of the courses will be updated in line with new requirements. In addition, there are plans to run crushing, explosives, lockout procedure, TMM/PDS, sales, supervisory training, first aid, emergency evacuation, HIRA, root cause analysis, SHE incident investigation, safety for senior executives, rock breaking and blasting courses.
There will also be hands-on vocational type training in the form of study tours, financial management for quarry managers, how to vet contractors, supply and control basics, construction material sampling and testing, operating mobile machinery and specifying the right, cost effective fleets of equipment within the quarry environment.
“Everybody is welcome to send us their ideas so that we can give the industry the type of training that it needs, where and when it is needed,” Pienaar concludes.
All correspondence to:
Aspasa, Nico Pienaar,
Tel: (011) 791 3327,
Fax: 086 647 8034,
Email: <%$Linker:
Web: <%$Linker:
