Limpopo mining academy set for first intake

Limpopo mining academy set for first intake

The Limpopo government’s mining school is ready for it’s first intake of students next year. This was revealed by economic development MEC Dr Tshitereke Matibe during a stakeholder workshop in Polokwane on Tuesday.

Dr Matibe said the Limpopo Mining and Mineral Beneficiation Academy (LMMBA)
prepresents a practical response to the province’s need to convert its vast mineral endowment into sustainable skills development, employment opportunities and industrial growth.

The workshop brought together major mining houses, academic institutions as well as government officials to discuss the curriculum for the academy and the province’s future skills needs in anticipation of large scale industrialization.

Limpopo is endowed with much sought after minerals including but not limited to platinum, chrome and marble but just like the rest of South Africa has been shipping them out in raw form due to a lack of processing capacity and with the government increasingly affirming its desire to start local beneficiation, a variety of skills are going to be required particularly among those who are hosting mines. The academy is expected to provide the much needed training and skills development.

Dr Matibe said there was widespread anticipation of the academy and that all responsible will have to move with speed in implementing the project including proceeding with the intake, a projected 500 students in January 2027 even before construction of the actual institution.

“We do not have to wait for the construction of a physical campus before training begins. The urgent task before us is to align training programmes with the current and future skills requirements of the mining industry and create pathways for young people to access meaningful opportunities within the sector,” he said.

The MEC says the academy is part of the provincial a bigger industrialisation plan of the provincial government.

“The Academy also forms part of our broader efforts to support Limpopo’s industrialisation as the province advances projects such as the Musina-Makhado and the Fetakgomo-Tubatse Special Economic Zone,” said the MEC.

Curriculum development and programme design is underway and the government is being supported in the process by prominent institutions including IBE Academy, the University of Johannesburg and the University of Limpopo.

The department said the next phase of the project will focus on finalising curriculum frameworks, establishing governance structures as well as securing formal commitments from industry and academic partners.