By Benjamin Akoto
Terchire (A/R), March 30, GNA – Seventy-two young people have graduated under Newmont Africa’s Construction Worker Training Programme (CWT) held at Terchire in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo Region.
The three months artisanal training, organised by Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), under Newmont Africa, trained the young men and women in welding, fabrication, scaffolding, steel bending, carpentry, masonry, equipment and crane operations.
They were drawn from the 10 host communities; Kenyasi Number One and Two, Ntotroso, Gyedu and Wamahinso hosting the NGGL Ahafo South Mine in the Asutifi North District, and Susuanso, Yamfo, Afrisipakrom, Terchire and Adrobaa in the Tano North Municipality, hosting the Ahafo North Project.
Additionally, 96 artisans would be trained in batches of 24 each, with 48 starting the carpentry and masonry programme by the end of March 2023.
Preparations are underway for the equipment and crane operation trainees to commence their programme later this year to bring the total number to 168.
Addressing a gathering at the maiden joint matriculation and graduation ceremony, Mr Andries Havenga, Director, Newmont Africa, Ahafo North Project, said the training targeted local artisans from the host communities to build their capacity to meet the standards and approved certifications for work at Newmont.
He said it would create opportunities for them within the extractive industry as the Ahafo North Project would source for skills expertise from the communities when construction works begun.
Mr Joseph Danso, the Senior Manager, Sustainability and External Relations, NGGL Ahafo North Project, said the company had established training programmes, over the years, to develop the human resource capacities of the host communities.
He mentioned Apprenticeship, Learnership, Graduate Training, Female Top-Up, Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASSM), Alternative Livelihood Training, and the Construction Worker Training as some of the courses.
Mr Danso said under the Apprenticeship Programme, 159 youth had been trained, 134 employed with Newmont, and 10 employed with contractors since its establishment in 2015.
The Graduate Programme, since its inception in 2018, had trained 35 youths with 21 graduating, while the ‘Subika’ Underground Learnership had enrolled 20 people, out of which 10 had graduated and nine employed.
The Female Top-Up to build the capacity of women to increase competitive advantage in employment opportunities, had enrolled 30 females, 29 graduated and five employed.
With the ASSM Alternative Livelihood Programme, which began in 2022, 24 people had been enrolled and trained in welding and fabrication.
They had all graduated and eight had been employed with other institutions, Mr Danso said.
Mr George Boakye, the Ahafo Regional Minister, advised the youth in the region to use dialogue in addressing their grievances, saying that fostered peaceful co-existence, rather than demonstrations, which created confusion and impeded progress.
Mr Emmanuel Amankwah, a representative of the graduands, urged the youth in the beneficiary communities to abstain from drug abuse, saying that would make them healthy to pass Newmont’s health test, if there was the opportunity for employment.
GNA