AngloGold Ashanti Limited (Ghana) has successfully graduated a batch of eight students from their first Graduate Trainee Programme and matriculated its second batch in a colorful ceremony held in Obuasi.
The company instituted the Graduate Trainee Programme, a developmental initiative to offer brilliant and promising students from tertiary institutions the opportunity to gain real-world practical work experience within the mining industry after their National Service.
As part of the company’s vision to nurture human resources for national development, AGA, through the Graduate Trainee Programme offers the opportunity and platform to coach and adequately prepare young talents by providing them with equal opportunities for development and growth in the mining industry.
The programme also places a premium on inculcating the right work ethics in the trainees.
Speaking in an interview, the Senior Manager, Human Resources, of AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Limited, Mrs. Wosiela Bobie expressed excitement the year-long programme has seen results.
“Our young talents have transformed from the inexperienced fresh graduates to confident young professionals. They have been equipped with the requisite skills to give them a head start in the world of work and they have demonstrated hard work and the zeal to make an impact in the mining industry.”
“We set out to address one of the greatest needs of the industry and we are grateful that our trainees have been cooperative with us through the period to achieve the set objectives.”
Throwing more light on the graduate trainee programme, Mrs Bobie further explained each Graduate Trainee was assigned a mentor who facilitated the learning process through practical hands-on exposure with guidance from the Training and Development team.
Each Graduate trainee submitted a monthly report covering all new learnings, in the area of technical skills, soft skills and a personal reflection on their progress.
The training programme concluded with each trainee presenting a research projection business improvement. Out of the projects presented the three most outstanding cost saving projects were selected and are currently being implemented by the mine.
Addressing the trainees and welcoming the second batch of trainees, the Managing Director of Obuasi Mine, Mr. Eric Asubonteng, reiterated the company’s commitment to its value of “People are the business; Our business is people.”
He emphasized the importance of ethical conduct and challenged the trainees to uphold the company’s values and make the best of the opportunities presented to them.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr. Sulemanu Koney who also graced the occasion commended AngloGold Ashanti and reiterated the Chamber of Mine’s commitment to support the industry in developing the requisite technical skills.
The overall best trainee Nancy Appiah, from the Engineering (Electrical) department expressed her gratitude for the opportunity given her and assured management of her continued hard work to achieve the company’s objectives.