The light and dark side of education and technology
- By: John P Sykes
Posted in: Blog, Exploration, Media, Mining, PhD, Strategy
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Today’s Strictly Boardroom article on MiningNewsPremium.net reviews the findings of one of last month’s Centre for Exploration Targeting “Future of Minerals Exploration” scenarios workshops. The workshop discussed how technology and education could be used to enable or disable engagement with the mining sector, primarily through the reinforcement or unwinding of inequality in society.
The two scenarios developed considered how things can go wrong: when technology and education creates sophisticated elites who exploit mineral resources at the expense of those left behind (a kind of Hunger Games scenario); or when the same technology and education creates a valued mining industry at the heart of society, technological advancement and social mobility (a kind of Star Trek society).
To bring about this second scenario mineral explorers are going to have to play a broader role in society as the mining industry vanguard of geological, technological and societal engagement. In this vanguard role explorers are first contact with society, starting the social licence process, and a small, nimble hot-house for technological experimentation and innovation – as well as standard geological duties of finding mineral deposits. This wider role for mineral explorers places them at the heart of society, and helps ensure wider support for minerals exploration from financial backers and society.
The full article is available for MiningNewsPremium.net subscribers: “The light and dark side of education and technology“.
For keen followers of the Strictly Boardroom column, our new book “Strictly (Mining) Boardroom Volume II: A Practitioners Guide for Next Generation Directors” is out now; available as a paperback or e-book from Major Street Publishing or Amazon.