Nobel Ndiweni, a Process Trainer at Pilbara Minerals, has a love of sharing knowledge and helping people learn new skills, so it is no surprise he is thriving in his role as Trainer at the Pilgangoora Operation.
After moving from South Africa to Australia in 2018, Nobel started with Pilbara Minerals in March 2019 as a Process Operator. He quickly developed his understanding of plant operations, to a point he could pass his knowledge onto others.
“As someone who enjoys learning new things, I quickly moved through all the sections of the plant including complex isolations,” Nobel said.
“As the company grew, I found myself training new starters in plant operations as well as complex isolations. In July 2021 I was appointed as Process Trainer, a role that sees me continue training and developing operators in their plant knowledge and skills.”
In his role Nobel teaches people all sections of the processing plant and assessing people on complex isolations.
“Our processing plant is unique and thus very rarely will you find people with all of the necessary skills able to operate it,”
“My job involves teaching people all sections of the processing plant from crushing, heavy medium separation, flotation, and control room operations just to name a few.”
“I am also responsible for teaching and passing out people on complex isolations, as well as designing and verifying isolations for shutdowns in the Processing Plant.”
While the job can be challenging Nobel says it is also very rewarding.
“I have had so much positive feedback from people appreciating they can finally understand why things are done the way they are,”
“I have always sought to teach not just the how but the why. It’s quite fulfilling to train and develop people, especially that moment when a new concept finally makes sense.”
Never one to shy away from further learning, Nobel is currently completing his final year of a Double Major degree in Mineral and Environment Science with Murdoch University. He says Pilbara Minerals has been very supportive.
“Pilbara Minerals is the place to be: a place for career development in an inclusive and friendly working environment.”
“I love the fact that I am working for a company that is directly contributing to a sustainable future.”
“Pilbara Minerals has been supportive of my studies and more than willing to let me attend practicals and exams as dictated by my program.”
“Technical analysis is something I quite enjoy, so I hope to transition to Metallurgy in the future.”
We asked Nobel to give us a brief snapshot of his work day as a Process Trainer. Here is what he told us.
04:00 – Alarm goes off, snooze at least 3 times and finally get out of bed at 04:15!
04:45 – Pick up a coffee and crib.
05:00 – Arrive at work.
05:10 – Attend the daily morning operator shift handover meeting held between the outgoing night shift and incoming day shift.
05:30 – I attend the daily morning production and safety meeting. We discuss health and safety performance, production, vulnerabilities, and any priorities
06:00 – Time for a second coffee, my emails and have a look at production trends.
06:30 – It’s time to sit down with the shift supervisor and strategize training and production issues for the day.
07:00 – Time to focus on the training scheduled for the day.
09:30 – Third coffee and a quick catch up with the control room operator for an overview of the plant performance before heading back to continue with the scheduled training for the day.
12:30 – Lunch time! I often catch up with plant operators in this period and we chat about anything and everything from work to family.
13:30 – I catch up with HSE and arrange for VOCs to be conducted.
15:00 – I attend a half hour production and maintenance outlook meeting. We review plant performance for the day and prepare for night shift to have a smooth run.
17:00 – I attend the production shift handover as the day shift hands over the plant to the incoming night shift.
17:30 – I go to the gym for half an hour before a quick shower and dinner. I go for a walk or ride along the river with my partner. I facetime my partner and daughter after dinner, discussing what we’re doing on my next break. With the borders opening in a few months, its time to finalise our next holiday!