Knowledge Transfer at Mines: How E-Learning Technology Can Ease the Burden

Knowledge management is a growing concern for mining and other heavy industries. Many operations in these fields subsist through ad hoc decisions and institutional knowledge held by experienced personnel. However, these fields also see significant turnover as personnel retire, advance into senior roles, or migrate to other sites and operations. An aging workforce only compounds this issue. This regular turnover contributes to the vulnerability of institutional knowledge and... may reduce the efficacy of these operations as a whole. As a result, facilitating the transfer of knowledge presents a major challenge for mining operations and their human resource departments. This paper demonstrates the potential for technological solutions – in particular, e-learning software – to mitigate the impact of personnel changes in mining. It shows how e-learning creates knowledge redundancy, eases knowledge transfer, and contributes to a continuity of institutional information as junior personnel move into key roles at mines.