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14.09.2012 General News

Goldfields train youth in heavy duty equipment

By GNA
Goldfields train youth in heavy duty equipment
14.09.2012 LISTEN

Damang (W/R), Sept. 14, GNA - To make the youth more employable in the mining industry, Goldfields Ghana Limited (GFGL), Damang Mine, has trained twenty youth in its catchment area on the handling of heavy duty equipment to improve on their skills.

The trainees went through six month theoretical and practical training on drill rigs, trucks, wheel loaders and truck dozers.

The beneficiary communities include Damang, Huni/Valley, Aboso, Koduakrom, Kyekyewere, Subri, Amoada, Nyamebekyere and Bompieso, which are the nine stakeholder communities of the mine.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, the General Manager of GFGL, Damang mine, Mr. Christo Viljoen said an amount of GHC20,000 was spent on the trainees, adding that, a second batch of twenty youth have also been selected to go through the same programme beginning next month.

He said due to the high unemployment rate facing their stakeholder communities, the company in its last consultative committee meeting for the year 2011, promised to organize this training to prepare the youth in their respective communities adequately for the mining sector.

Mr. Viljoen said to make the programme easier and more efficient for the trainees; the company has procured a simulator to be used in the training.

The Sustainable Development Manager of Goldfields Ghana, Mr. Robert Siaw said the company has strived over the years to live up to the expectation of its catchment communities.

He said although the employment policy of Damang mine is to give priority to people in their stakeholder communities, they are not able to resource the entire labour requirement from these communities because of inadequacies of the skill set of labour of these communities.

According to him, during the recruitment exercise for operators in 2011, some of the communities could not produce a single qualified applicant and this fact was difficult for some community leaders and youth in these communities to accept.

The Sustainable Development Manager said to provide a quick fix to resolve the problem identified in the previous recruitment exercise, the company has made provision for scholarships, community apprenticeship programmes in auto mechanics, auto electrical, welding, spraying and hairdressing.

He said Damang mine will continue to collaborate with the district assembly and government institutions to undertake community development programmes to enhance the standard of living of the people in the stakeholder communities.

Mr. Siaw said the company is currently preparing another five-year community development plan, dubbed Sustainable Empowerment and Economic Development programme II, and will be implemented from 2013-2017.

Mr. Ebenezer Hackman, a beneficiary, on behalf of the other trainees, expressed gratitude to Damang mine for the kind gesture.

All the beneficiaries were given certificates.
GNA

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