AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana), Limited, has successfully graduated a batch of 8 students from their first Graduate Trainee Programme and matriculated its second batch in a colourful 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 said: “We are excited to see the result of our year-long programme. Our young talents have transformed from the inexperienced fresh graduates to confident young professionals.  

She continued that the students "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 that 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 project on business improvement.

Out of the projects presented the three (3) 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 emphasised 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.

Present at the ceremony were the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Prof. J. S. Y. Kuma and Professor Grace Ofori-Sarpong, Dean of the School of Post-Graduate Studies.

They both commended AngloGold Ashanti for its remarkable graduate training programme and called on mining companies as well as private companies in the company to institute similar programmes for young graduates to improve the talent pool of the country as well as create employment for the youth.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr Sulemanu Konney 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.