By Desmond Cudjoe
One hundred and twenty-four (124) graduates who were enrolled on the Graduate Training Programme of Gold Fields Ghana Foundation have successfully passed out. They comprise of 88 males and 36 females who were selected from the host communities of Gold Fields Ghana at the Tarkwa and Damang Mines. The beneficiaries were placed in various departments based on their fields of study to gain practical hands-on experience and later rotated.
This enabled the trainees to appreciate all activities and operations that complement a mining company’s overall operations. They were also given the opportunity to identify a challenge on the mine in the course of their internship and come out with a solution to address it through the Value-Add Project. This project further challenged them to also identify opportunities and propose innovative ideas to enhance business operations.
The objective of the initiative was to improve on skills levels of youth in the company’s host communities and make them employable, improving the skill levels of the youth in its host communities.
HEAVY-DUTY EQUIPMENT TRAINING
Another component of the skills improvement initiative under the Graduate Training Programme is the Heavy-Duty Equipment (HDE) Training, which was introduced in 2021, with the aim of equipping selected community youths with the expertise to operate heavy-duty mining machinery. The Foundation through collaboration with its business partner, Engineers and Planners (E&P), provides a comprehensive three-month training for these community youths; teaching them the complexities of handling heavy-duty machinery such as drill rigs, dump trucks, dozers and excavators. After the intensive three-month training, the trainees are granted an opportunity to undergo an additional three months of internship.
This period allows them to refine their skills further and gain hands-on experience in their chosen training field. They are certified after six (6) months of rigorous training and practical application by the Minerals Commission with Operators’ Certificate of Competency. In all, 33 youths made up of 21 males and 12 females from the various host communities of Damang mine have benefited from this programme.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony at Tarkwa, Joshua Mortoti, Executive Vice President and Head of Gold Fields West Africa said since the inception of the programme 2018, the Foundation has invested US$2.3M in it. This has been key in providing experience and skills in on-the-job training for 171 graduates so far.
“There were 47 graduate trainees in the first batch for the programme. 31 of them have secured employment in the mining and construction industries, across Ghana, while five others are furthering their education in the United States and Europe,” he said.
On the current batch of 124, he said even before the completion of their programme, seven, have been employed at the mine and with other business partners on site. Another five, took up opportunities to further their studies abroad after receiving scholarships, whilst still under training at Gold Fields.
FUTURE
Mr. Mortoti said, the Foundation is confident about the competence and readiness of the trainees to transition into the wider professional world of work. Their achievements will be a testament to the success of the programme.
He announced that the Foundation plans to increase the percentage of female representation for the programme during the next intake. “This is our commitment to creating enduring value beyond mining”, he said. Mr Mortoti assured of the sustainability of the programme.
Abdel-Razak Yakubu, Executive Secretary of Gold Fields Ghana Foundation explained that the graduate trainee programme was designed to build a talent pipeline for Gold Fields and the mining industry in Ghana.
He said graduates from the various tertiary institutions in the company’s operational area who have completed their national service are enrolled on this programme for two years to acquire the right skills and competencies and make them employable in their chosen professions.
He testified that the programme has brought relief to most of the beneficiaries in terms of employment opportunities and being self-employed.
Nana Kwesi Blay, the Chief of Apinto in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality commended Gold Fields Foundation for investing in the youth of the host communities. “Go a little further by giving them employment opportunities as a way of contributing to eradicating poverty in our communities”, he said.
He entreated the graduates to make the best of the life-changing opportunities they have received by impacting society. For his part, Prof. Richard Kwesi Amankwah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) urged the beneficiaries to form partnerships and go into entrepreneurship. This will enable them to also offer a helping hand to others.
One Response
When does the 2024 graduate trainee program start? I’d like to apply.