Inside a Mining Recruitment Company's Playbook: Sourcing for Remote Operations Centers

The mining industry has witnessed profound changes in the past decade. The era when the whole workforce had to endure the physical demands of working in remote mining sites has faded. At the same time, major mining companies have taken control of massive mines away from the mine site by using Remote Operations Centers (ROCs). 

Mining companies use these centers to monitor and, even, control automated haul trucks and giant drills and process facilities remotely from a desk at ROC, which is hundreds or thousands of miles away from the mining plant.

Technologically speaking, this revolution made the job less physically demanding and safer besides improving efficiency but left the companies having to face a new recruitment issue: Where can I find workers that know the way to manipulate all heavy machinery as well as handle complex software environments?

Grasping the Transition in Job Roles due to ROCs

There is a need for recruiters to be well acquainted with the fact that these Remote Operations Centers (ROCs) were created and the new skill sets required for employees as opposed to what used to be required at the mine sites. At the mine sites, you needed to rely on your mechanical skills and be able to be physically hands-on all the time.

In fact, the person who works at the ROC has a unique combination of knowledge about the technology and, at the same time, knows everything about the machines that work deep underground, so hiring such people through traditional job portals is like casting the net into the sea in hope of catching only big fish. They are really difficult to find, and that is why recruitment agencies are so specialized with them.

The Playbook: Step-by-Step Sourcing Strategy

Expert recruiters usually apply a highly effective technique that ensures they are able to keep bringing the right people who are really well suited for remote work environments.

1. Finding Talent in Neighbor Industries

It's possible that the experienced ROC operator candidate base is limited due to the rarity of a single ROC in one mine. To expand, recruiters look towards adjacent industries that have similar control room settings.

They may consider candidates from these areas that also share a certain kind of control room experience:

• Oil and Gas: Control rooms on offshore platforms do similar monitoring works.
• Utilities and Power Plants: Here, operators are good at managing real-time grid systems and automated equipment.
• Aviation and Logistics: Air traffic controllers and fleet coordinators share with the ROC operator the ability to be concentrated for long hours under high stress and to track several systems simultaneously.

This technique allows recruiters to look beyond ROCs, opening up possibilities with the mining industry in that the candidate is already set in the right mindset, just requiring training specific to a particular site.

2. Technical And Soft Skills Screening

Securing a candidate who possesses dual abilities in technical and soft skills would be a game-changer. Recruiters look into two broad aspects.

• They ask the candidate to demonstrate their competence in reading equipment data, navigating a complex graphical user interface, and identifying the potential operational problem that might lead to an equipment failure.
• Recruiters also ask whether the candidate can describe the issue at hand over the communication systems (radio and chat) in a clear manner and if they are prepared to remain calm even during crisis situations, as a site manager may not be around to check the site physically.

3. Mining Through RPO Recruiting Agency Services

Mining companies are very selective when it comes to their personnel for the remote operations centers (ROC). It is not very often that they will recruit only one or two individuals. When they do launch a major new ROC or expand an existing ROC, they usually end up needing to hire a large number of experienced and specialized ROC and remote miners' operators, system engineers, and shift supervisors all at once.

Finding the right team is expensive and slow if they do the hiring internally to match a short-term expansion plan. It is precisely for this reason that many top companies team up with rpo recruitment services. 

Retaining ROC Talent

Hiring and sourcing candidates is just the beginning of the battle; employee retention and engagement go hand in hand. When we talk about remote work, it doesn't mean only the removal of FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) work from the equation but also presents new control room challenges. For example, the monotony of the computer screen and the pressure of shift work are among the issues.

A thorough recruitment playbook will be of great value when it comes to the employers' career path planning, development through regular training, and flexible shift scheduling, which would decrease a great deal of the employees' turnover rates.

Build Your Remote Operations Team with TASC Outsourcing

If you intend to recruit Remote Operations Center professionals of the highest calibre, join forces with TASC Outsourcing, which delivers exceptional recruitment and tailor-made RPO services. Our recruitment consultants assist mineral extraction enterprises in sourcing, selection, onboarding, and retention of those highly qualified resources that form the backbone of modern and automated mining operations. Contact our experts today and let us take care of your hiring needs!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Does Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Mines Mean?

A ROC is basically a central facility situated most probably in a city that is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to monitor and even control mining facilities and operations remotely from afar.

2. In What Ways Are ROC Role Hireouts Different from Conventional Mining Job Recruitments?

On the one hand, regular mining jobs demand the presence of physically capable laborers in situ, a factor that mining activities can't really be done without, and on the other, remote control/monitoring job posts require employees to have a combination of soft and hard ICT-related skills, be it data analysis, software proficiency, or communication of information effectively and accurately over the Internet.

3. How does a specialized mining recruitment company help?

A recruitment company that caters to a niche understands precisely the kind of technical requirements and industry-related subtleties that their clients are looking for. In addition, they can get in touch with candidates through pre-vetted talent pools since there is no need for re-screening candidates who have already been pre-vetted. These recruitment agencies also have the capability to source candidates in adjacent sectors and tech domains in case there is a shortage within their main industry.

4. How do RPO recruiting companies assist with large-scale hiring?

It is the RPO recruiting company's job to handle the full recruitment process on behalf of the mining company. With this in place, the mining company gets to save time, money, and manpower that can be better spent on core functions while the recruitment team takes care of all the hiring requirements of the client.

5. Can workers transition from traditional mining to ROC roles?

It is absolutely possible. A lot of field workers who have already been working in mining sites have managed to move into ROC posts. Their hands-on working knowledge, along with some basic software training, makes them ideal remote operators.