On 10 October 2024, the SAIMM YPC Student Debate brought together bright minds from the University of Johannesburg and the University of the Witwatersrand at DRA’s Johannesburg offices. This event, part of the 2024 YPC Month, centered around the theme 'Promoting the Retention and Prosperity of Young Professionals in the Mining and Minerals Industry'. The debate aimed to foster engagement, learning, and knowledge sharing among professionals in the mining and minerals sector.
DRA Global highlights the importance of education as a catalyst for unlocking potential and driving sustainable development. In line with its corporate values of Courage, Excellence, Trust, Safety, Integrity and People, the organisation is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through education. This commitment to people and communities extends further than just good governance, it’s a core pillar of DRA’s long-term corporate strategy, to turn the future of mining into a reality.
Discussions at this year’s debate highlighted views from next generation talent on "What needs to be done to address employment opportunities and retention of young professionals in the mining
and minerals industry?" Diverse viewpoints highlighted crucial industry involvement such as the importance of mentorship, creating employment opportunities, and effectively promoting the mining industry to young professionals – critical points for an industry facing a daunting skills gap.
Earlier in the month, DRA Global’s Managing Director and CEO, James Smith joined panelists at the 12th edition of the Joburg Indaba to discuss the bold new future in African mining and the talent landscape, he remarked “It’s impossible to have a technology discussion without a talent discussion – bringing those two things together is where the power really sits. The graduates of today arrive technology-enabled; if you can marry this new talent pool with experienced professionals in the industry – there’s potentially a very powerful solution.”
The SAIMM aims to bring together professionals in the mining and minerals industry to foster engagement, learning, and knowledge sharing. The 2024 Student Debate provided a stage for students from The University of Johannesburg and University of the Witwatersrand, within the minerals discipline to present compelling arguments on industry relevant themes. DRA continues to support initiatives that foster the growth and development of young professionals in the industry.
DRA Global Limited (ASX: DRA | JSE: DRA) (DRA or the Group) is an international multi-disciplinary engineering, project delivery and operations management group, predominantly focused on the mining, minerals and metals industry.
The Group has an extensive track record spanning almost four decades across a wide range of commodities. We have delivered more than 8,000 projects, studies and managed services solutions, and currently operate more than a dozen sites through its operations and maintenance division.
Our teams have deep expertise in the mining, minerals and metals processing industries, as well as related non-process infrastructure such as, water, and energy solutions. We deliver comprehensive advisory, engineering and project delivery services throughout the capital project lifecycle, from concept through to operational readiness and commissioning as well as ongoing operations, maintenance and engineering services. We do this with a focus on sustainability and assisting clients to achieve their ESG goals.
DRA covers all major mining centres with offices across Africa and the Middle East, North and South America, and the Asia-Pacific.