Training artisanal miners: A proposed framework with performance evaluation indicators

Worldwide, approximately 30 million people depend directly on artisanal mining of many different minerals to provide for themselves and their families. However, poverty and a lack of education and training keep artisanal miners trapped in a cycle of rudimentary practices, which generate both environmental and health impacts. As the needs and motivations of artisanal miners are often ignored, previous attempts to deliver training projects have resulted in little sustained success. A successful training project for artisanal miners should be site-specific, including implementation of a thorough evaluation plan to monitor progress of the project's initiatives through established indicators. Frequently, training projects are restricted to the specifications of the funding donor, instead of designing initiatives that adequately reflect the realities of the context in which the training will take place. Furthermore, it is imperative that any training project uses a bottom-up approach that incorporates knowledge garnered from the successes and mistakes of previous projects. In this study, after analysis of previous and current training efforts, the attributes of a successful training project were outlined, including the importance of training champions within artisanal miner communities, drawing effectively on government support, and providing simple, affordable and profitable techniques to improve productivity and reduce environmental impacts. In addition, a framework with performance indicators was mapped out to show how a successful training project could be designed, implemented, monitored and evaluated, including the need to incorporate inclusive consultation, cultural sensitivity and consistently applied protocols into every step of the project. Instead of instructing practitioners on what the training should cover, the framework outlines how a training project's design can be informed by the needs of a particular mining sector. Ultimately, this kind of framework can serve as a template for practitioners working in diverse sectors around the world.