4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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    The role of intersecting identities in career development and progression in the core disciplines of the South African mining industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mahobe, Patience Ntsoaki; Dey, Sayan
    The study sought to contribute to scholarship in the South African mining industry related to career development and progression in the core disciplines. Using qualitative research methods and applying intersectionality as a theoretical framework, the study examined whether, and how social identity plays a role on career development and progression in the core disciplines (mining & technical services, metallurgy, and engineering) of the South African mining industry. The study further examined whether there has been a change in the experiences of the different social identity groups related to career development and progression in the nearly thirty years since the promulgation of various pieces of legislation in South Africa in the mid- to late 1990s across industries and the mining industry in the early 2000s to transform the demographic profile across various occupational levels. The study lastly determined whether historical and current organisational, industry and societal systemic issues and dynamics impact career development and progression in these core disciplines. Thematic analysis was used to systematically identify and organise the data from the narratives of the participants provided through semi-structured interviews. This study confirms that intersectional identities have an impact on the career development and progression in core disciplines in the South African mining industry. The application of intersectionality as a theoretical framework brought to the fore different career development and progression experiences, challenges, and outcomes for the different social identity groups. Some progress in changing the demographic of the industry was noted, although progress is seen as being slow, particularly at executive level, with historical systemic issues related to entrenched ways of working and a leadership style that is not people-centric being the most difficult to change. The outcomes of the study and recommendations challenge the industry to think differently about transforming their cultures and ways of working, to create a focus on macro-level organisational systems and structures that continue to produce and reproduce unequal outcomes whilst also creating awareness and dealing with micro-level individual behaviour
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    South African unemployment: the case of the geoscience graduates
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Mkhize, Nomvelo Pumla; Horne, Renee
    Unemployment presents a substantial global challenge, and South Africa is no exception, consistently reporting one of the highest unemployment rates, particularly among its youth population. The recent pandemic has further worsened this situation, notably reflected in the growing difficulties geoscience graduates encounter in finding employment upon graduation. This study aimed to assess the factors contributing to the growing number of geoscience graduates struggling to secure employment from the human resources (HR) perspective. The study assesses the mismatch between the skills required by the job market versus the skills produced by the universities. A need for partnerships and collaborations between industry and universities to improve the skills and employability of graduates is identified. The study delineates the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders to remedy the geoscience graduate unemployment problem and proposes strategies for augmenting graduates' expertise, employability, and skill sets. The study utilised a qualitative design incorporating semi-structured, semi-structured open-ended interviews with the human resources officer (s). Thematic analysis was conducted on the data to understand the perceptions and perspectives of the HR officers. This study reveals that there are several factors perceived to be attributed to the rising geoscience graduate unemployment, and these include, inter alia, a considerable misalignment regarding the skills the universities are producing versus the skills required by the job market, the lack of collaboration and partnership between the key stakeholders (i.e. universities, industry, and government) and the misalignment between the available job opportunities and the available graduates. Therefore, this calls for more collaborations and partnerships to solve the problem of geoscience graduate unemployment. This research study is, thus, intended to provide a fresh perspective for policymakers, the geoscience industry and higher education institutional leaders
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    The impact of digital wearables on safety in the South African mining industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Bapela, Nthabiseng; Rangasamy, Logan
    The mining industry is currently at a turning point and is encountering several challenges, including the need to improve efficiency, reduce costs, limit its impact on the natural environment and improve safety. In order for mining organisations to stay globally competitive they need to adjust to the new norms of efficient mining at a low cost. The greater the depth of mining the more dangerous mining activity become (Zulu et al., 2021, pp. 184-200). The research was influenced by the need to improve safety through the use of digital technology to collect active data. The concept of digital wearables allows for the collection of a vast amounts of data in real-time which can be used to reveal unknown reoccurrence’s due to certain behaviour or conditions which results in incidents that could have been avoided. Data analytics can be used to design models to easily predict and eliminate a peak in operational scenarios based on the employee groups and mediate prior an incident occurs (Deloitte, 2019). The primary objective of this study is to determine how digital wearables can be utilised to indicate impending hazards by providing data that mines can use to improve safety. There is a need to develop models that are aligned with technological improvements directed at improving safety in mining operations. A quantitative research method was adopted in the research as it describes the investigation and use of numerical data by means of specialised statistical techniques (Oberiri, 2017, pp. 40-47). The method used to conduct the study was a questionnaire in the form of a survey based on a Likert-type scale. Due to a low survey response there were 51 actual respondents and 40 respondents derived from the cleaned data to the survey which included mine management employees, middle management and junior level working on the site. The influence on the dependent variable was populated into the SPSS model to test if the data is a good fit. The data was exported to SPSS and used to run different tests on the sample (Lee, n.d., pp.143-178). Key drivers from the sample data results were identified as the low information efficiency flow currently whereby majority if respondents agree that impeding hazards and injuries can be reduced by way of training to improve human interaction with technology and availability of real time data. The results suggest that technology can play a role in enhancing safety standards in mines. Technology will improve information efficiency but organisations lack “holistic and proactive approaches” in balancing the adoption of technology and industrial social sustainability (Mangaroo-Pillay et al., n.d., pp. 1-12)