Hands-on training helps produce mining professionals in Kenya

Alice Githiomi knows  how to sample minerals and analyse their composition to determine their potential value.

Estimating ore in a natural resource is a duty she performs with keen  understanding of the technical concepts involved and the compound procedures performed out in the field. Although, she theoretically learnt these in her undergraduate  geology studies, the breadth within which she broadened her scope of knowledge  during her training is what she says makes her a competitive and confident geologist.

Githiomi is a successful graduate trainee of the Base Titanium, a Kwale based mineral exploration company. Soon after her graduation, she enrolled for the 18 month graduate training programme following the firm’s advertisement on its website.

“I learnt the skills which can be applied to a variety of mining projects with a variety of commodities,” says Githiomi.

“For instance sample collection and analysis, ore resource estimation, reserve reconciliation and reporting are skills not limited to mineral sands mining.”

The training was sponsored by Base Titanium. She never paid a penny, she says. It is a rigorous process though which involved attachment in the departments of  geology, occupational, health and safety as well as training. An exercise that entailed  comprehensive exposure to the working environment in the mining industry.

Dealing with external and internal conflicts, managing time, solving problems pragmatically and being effective leaders  are just part of the interpersonal skills instilled among the trainees enrolled into the Base Titanium programmes.

“The training and work experience gives me a headstart in establishing a successful career,” says Githiomi who earned herself a job at the mining firm after the successful completion of her graduate training programme.

Though, Mutuku Nzomo is a trained metallurgist, his acceptance into the graduate programme did not come easy.

SELF CONFIDENCE

Just as Githiomi, he had to take several interviews and aptitude tests to assess his capability. But the knowledge and experience he has gained gives him the self-confidence of a well-rounded specialist in matters of exploring minerals such as titanium, copper, iron and aluminium among others.

A metallurgist is mainly concerned with the extraction and processing of various metals and can specialise in chemical, physical or process metallurgy.

The chemical experts extract useable metals from ore, the physical; monitor the behaviour of metals under stress and the process; shape and join metals.

“Gaining knowledge, skills and most importantly the hands on experience goes a long way in setting a foundation for a good career in any sector,” he says.

Nzomo says he has gained practical experience in running and assessing the performance of the mineral processing plant. He now works at Base Titanium as a plant metallurgist.

Kenya, in the recent days has gained popularity among the foreign investors as a favourable destination for investments. The factor considered: increasing discovery of minerals.

But availability of diverse local dynamic personnel to drive the mining industry is an issue yet to be fully solved. Developing an employable workforce in this key industry with potential to catapult Kenya’s annual growth  to seven per cent is a necessity probably calling for multi-sectoral approaches.

Internship, apprenticeship and graduate training programmes are some of the off-the-books strategies being adopted by  mining sector stakeholders to help them employ well-rounded proffessionals.

For Githiomi and Nzomo, a successful career in the industry is a story well told upon practical exposure into the nitty gritty aspects of its operations.

Base Titanium, offered them the chance they had wished for but would not find elsewhere.

The mining company offers apprenticeship in collaboration with Technical University of Mombasa. It takes three years split into 16 weeks of university campus, 36 on job placement at the firm’s site of operations.

For three months, individuals have the opportunity to undertake an internship programme and 18 months for graduate. To be enrolled into a graduate programme one must have successfully completed a University degree in the past 12 months, be a Kenyan citizen and must pass a competency test set by Base Human Resource and Training Programmes.

For internship, the student ought to be currently enrolled in a Kenyan university on full-time or part-time basis and be endorsed by the university. He or she ought to have appropriate indemnities for personal security. To  qualify for the apprenticeship; one must be a current student of a Kenyan Polytechnic and have the capability to pass the competency and the basic psychometric tests.

“The limited skills base in the Coast region and lack of mining skills nationwide prompted us to implement a comprehensive skills development and training programme,” says Paul Thompson, the firm’s head of Occupational Health and Safety Management.

The programmmes were initiated in 2012 and so far the list of beneficiaries include 30 apprentices; 26 males and 4 females; 65 interns including 40 males and 28 females. Nine graduates comprising of seven males and two females.

“We are training and developing highly skilled, safety conscious national workforce. These are future supervisors, superintendents and managers,” notes Thompson.

Skilled expatriates with up to 35 years of experience in the mining industry form part of their training workforce, as he says.

“We believe we are producing the most skilled mining related people in Kenya, able to move out of Kwale and pollinate new mining operations in Kenya,” he says.

In the 2015/16 fiscal year, Thompson says they have set aside Sh 75 million to ensure a sustainable functionality of the training programmes.

Dedicating finances into polishing skills of fresh graduates is an unattractive management activity among many Kenyan organisations. Mainly because it involves making and readjusting budgetary allocations. And to some, it is an expensive affair and would rather be avoided.