Twenty-five Papua New Guinean students are spending six-weeks at Newcrest Mining Lihir’s gold operations, where they will be doing industrial training.
Of the 25 students, nine are from New Ireland of which three are female. There are 11 female students in this batch.
Lihir offers a wide range of training opportunities as it embarks on identifying and recruiting the right talents, including building a healthy talent pool. One such programme is the Industrial Training programme, which creates a safe space for students to learn and gain experience through exposure to real work scenarios and hands-on training. The program is part of Newcrest Mining Lihir’s Young Talent Program.
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| Newcrest Mining Lihir committed to training future industry leaders in PNG [Photo by PNG Chamber of Mines & Petroleum] |
“We are committed to developing our talents, as we have done since the mine commenced operations,’’ Alex Rogea, Lihir’s Human Resource Manager said when welcoming the students. “We have a number of training initiatives, one of which is the industrial training program.’’
He encouraged the students to set goals and work towards achieving them.
“It’s also good to set personal goals and plans to where you want to be in life, and work according to your plan and your goals. Build relations and your networking, as this will come in very handy.”
Industrial trainee Kathleen Aruma completed her studies last year and will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Mineral Processing Engineering from Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT).
She is attached to the Metallurgy section under the Process Plant department.
“This is my second time on the Industrial Training Program; I was here last year for a period of six weeks. I am currently four weeks into this year’s Industrial training program, and it’s been just as fun as the first time,” Kathleen said.
“I was mostly excited about joining the program because I had heard about the exposure such training provides. That is; exposure to such a diverse workforce and at one of the world’s largest gold mines.”
Information about the program caught Kathleen’s attention at a career roadshow, where she made a swift decision to apply straight away.
“I knew I was going to learn so much not only in the metallurgical/process engineering space but in other fields as well.”
The industrial training program is unique, in that, it creates a complete career pathway for the trainees from University level to being a graduate development trainee, and on to a professional role at Newcrest Mining Lihir.
Through the Newcrest Lihir Young Talent programme, the company provides the pathway for university students who aspire to develop a career in the mining industry. The company is partnering with institutions such as University of Papua New Guinea, Don Bosco Technological Institute, Pacific Adventist University and (PNGUoT) to source and maintain talent supply of quality professionals to meet future demands.
A total of 75 students have been through this program since its commencement three years ago.