Sifiso Mthiyane

Graduate trainee, mechanical engineering, Richards Bay Minerals, South Africa

BTech Mechanical Engineering, Durban University of Technology, South Africa

I joined Rio Tinto's graduate programme in January 2009, as a trainee in the smelter plant at Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), but my connection with the company goes back several years.

I've lived in Richards Bay all my life, and RBM is one of the biggest companies in my town. I would watch people drive past my school to go to work at RBM and I'd think: "One day I'm going to be part of that company".

When I was in grade 11, RBM's communities specialist came to my high school, and I was chosen to join the company's "High flyers" programme, which it uses to identify students that it will sponsor through tertiary education.

I've always been interested in cars and machinery and knew from early on that I wanted to study engineering. RBM chose to sponsor me through my degree in mechanical engineering at Durban University of Technology, and I spent a year of that course on "in-service training" at RBM. After the final year of my degree, I was taken on as a graduate trainee.

So far at the final products site, I've worked in the smelter plant, iron injection plant, and the slag plant. My duties have involved plant optimisation; reporting and analysing equipment failures; root cause failure analysis; assisting the plant engineer with maintenance and shut downs; providing out of hours support; and assisting with contract tendering, planning and scheduling, maintaining and improving safety, health and environmental standards and practices.

My biggest highlight of the year was witnessing the rebuild of a smelter furnace; something that is only done once every 30 years or so. It has been very satisfying to see that completed and running well. Working in the water clarifier plant has also been one of my favourite experiences of the programme so far.

The next step for me will be to move into the "engineer in training" (EIT) programme, which is the pathway to becoming a certified mines and works engineer in South Africa. It involves completing a log book issued by the Department of Minerals and Resources and taking exams. During this time I'll have to cover the whole of the RBM operations which includes the mining and smelting processes, The EIT programme would enable me to gain further experience in surface mining and have exposure to underground mining.

Longer term I'd like to have experience in project management, metallurgy, product development and continuous improvement processes and engage myself in six sigma projects. I really enjoy research and so I think I would like to work in one of Rio Tinto's innovation teams one day. 

It has been very valuable to have had such broad exposure to many parts of the operation through the graduate programme. It has enabled me to integrate theory and practice, and link what I've learned at university with what I'm learning on site. It has also been really helpful to be surrounded by people who are willing to help me through my learning curve.