How do you manage a dying industry that suddenly gets a new lease of life? That is the question facing the British coal sector. Some 25 years since the start of the national miners’ strike began a decade-long spate of closures, unexpected demand from power stations and recovering coal prices have ensured the few remaining pits will stay open longer.

Faced with an ageing workforce, companies are recruiting apprentices for the first time in a generation. Gerry Huitson, production manager of Hargreaves, a mining company, says: “A lot of people have left the industry and will never come back,” leaving him worried that knowledge built up over decades could be lost.

“Our biggest challenge here is the age of the workforce. It’s around 47 and people are retiring every year. That is why we recruited apprentices. They need to learn skills from people before they have gone,” he says.

In spite of 25 years of decline, which scarred many mining communities, there is no shortage of recruits.

All eight apprentices at Hargreaves’ Maltby colliery have a family connection. James Hackleton, 20, has an uncle, Pete Arthur, working at the pit. “As soon as he told me they were hiring, we went down to get the forms,” he says.

All the same, Mr Hackleton, from Sheffield, had never been underground. Mick Bailey, 55, the apprentices’ mentor, says all eight were taken down the 1,000ft shaft to the coalface, where temperatures reach about 40°C. None opted out. “I can’t wait to go down,” says Mr Hackleton. “It’s a proper job.”

Doncaster College revived its mining course last year to train 43 apprentices for three companies: Hargreaves, UK Coal and Powerfuel, which own Britain’s last six deep pits. The three-year course is mostly college-based and is different from the experience of the previous generations. Most of those began work at 15 and never expected to do any other job. Apprentices now need five GSCEs, including maths and sciences, and many have already been in work. “We find school-leavers are not mature enough,” says Mr Huitson.

Martin Woodcock, in charge of excavating new coalfaces at Maltby, began in the 1970s when tunnels were blasted out by explosives. Now his team operates a huge multimillion-pound battering ram that chews through the rock and spews it out behind. “We started underground at 15. Now you have to be 18.”

Hargreaves bought Maltby Colliery in 2007 from UK Coal, which wanted to close it. It has extended its life to at least 2014, hence the need for new recruits .

There is a lot more machine work, Mr Bailey says, “but you still need to be a strong lad to work underground”.

Mr Huitson started in the pits in his native Durham in the 1970s aged 15 and has watched the industry change. For instance, one miner (aged 54) is monitoring the progress of a face-cutter at a computer station several metres away from the face and Mr Huitson can see the same view on a screen in his office.

Some challenges remain the same – managers must plan ahead to make sure the giant shearing machines and other face equipment – costing up to £40m – is being used to capacity. “When I arrived here we didn’t have a [coal]face,” says Mr Huitson. “There was not as much coal as they had expected and one ran out before the other was ready. You have got expensive equipment standing round idle.”

In spite of the new technology, the old dangers of methane and carbon monoxide poisoning persist. Health and safety is paramount – a miner fixing bolts to hold the ceiling in place at Kellingley colliery died last year when it collapsed. Underground meetings for health and safety training are held weekly.

The new apprentices have boosted the morale of the 500-strong workforce, who are keen to pass on their experience, says Mr Huitson. Hargreaves tries to promote from within – coalface teams get the biggest production bonuses. It also aims to train miners to use all the equipment to cover shift patterns or absence.

“Miners have to be very adaptable and flexible. You need to be a pipefitter, joiner and rail-layer. That is why they do well when they go into other careers,” he says.

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