Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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materials, personal protective equipment and other practical gear. Since the Ahafo mine's first graduates all completed work in 2008, each one was hired in process maintenance capac- ities; currently, three female process operators and 16 female maintenance apprentices are enrolled. Altogether, 138 apprentice grads work at Ahafo and Akyem—eight as supervisors and 30 as lead hands. Both operations comprise 20% of Newmont's global core assets. In addition, company officials enroll young Ghanaians in two-year Emerging Talent Programs (ETPs), initiatives Denver-based Newmont runs worldwide to allow students to excel post-academia. Ghana's ETP began in 2010 with 20 graduates from prestigious universities; candidates are selected by interviews and coursework quality. Those accepted may fulfill their mandatory National Service duty in their first ETP year, then working under con- tract in the second, with salary and ben- efits. Throughout, each participant gains cross-functional experience through rota- tions and mentoring; since inception, 51 public and private grads have completed the ETP while Newmont supplied the region's University of Mines and Technology educational software. By tapping local talent for direct jobs over more costly expatriate employees, Newmont Ghana has a sustainable edge, according to Wayne Dunn, professor of practice in CSR at McGill University and president and founder of the CSR Training Institute. Savings are indeed critical in a volatile world economy generating unpredictable market demands—with Ghana's gold exports plummeting 16% year-on-year from Q1 through Q3 2013. "The industry has struggled, and there have been squeezes," said Dunn. "It's great when multiple interests line up;" government statistics indicate only 5% of GDP was spent on education in the past decade. Still, public perceptions haven't been perfect. In May, Newmont representa- tives held one of their most recent dia- logues with Akyem area youth and local officials over job availability concerns. "We are very aware we cannot employ everyone who wants a job," said Pascal Kanbonnabah, acting regional human resources vice president. "We continue looking to serve for additional economic development;" 43% of staff, he noted, is Ghanaian. But Newmont gets very high scores in all-around employment sustainability not least according to CSRHub, a website that rates 8,900 companies via data min- ing for 135 industries worldwide. Of the 74 extractive sector companies surveyed last year, "Newmont has a particularly strong score of 65 in the employees' area," the metrics site reported. "This is due to a high score in training, health and safety—well above the industry aver- age of 34." George Anim Dankyi, a graduate from nearby Afosu, said statistics sometimes neglect the full picture. "Initially, I was enrolled as a mine maintenance mechan- ic, but later become a welder," he said, "which means if I am no longer working for Newmont in the future, I can open my own workshop." Dankyi is happy with his current post- ing, however: "I have been employed by Newmont since my training and, compared with my previous working life," he added, "there has been much improvement." "I can now take good care of my family." JULY 2014 • E&MJ; 79 www.e-mj.com C S R W AT C H EMJ_pg78-79_EMJ_pg78-79 7/1/14 3:32 PM Page 79