In June 2016, Metallon Corporation commenced its two-year graduate training scheme in Zimbabwe, with 15 university graduates, aged 18-28, chosen from over 1,000 applicants. The selection process comprised of academic merits and grades, interview procedures and psychometric testing.
The company is a gold mining, development and exploration enterprise with producing assets in Zimbabwe and exploration assets in Tanzania and DRC.
Ken Mekani, chief executive officer, Metallon Corporation, commented: “We are training the brightest and most dedicated individuals, not only to be good managers of our business, but also to provide the skills and knowledge required for future managers of our country’s rich resources. Rebuilding the country’s skills base is key to the future growth of the company, and to driving the Zimbabwean economy.”
As part of the scheme the graduates will have a six-week rotation period visiting all the mining operations to gather a full understanding of the business, before being placed in their target discipline. These include mining engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, geology, human resources, SHEQ (safety, health, environment and quality), and IT.
Thereafter, graduates will work closely alongside highly experienced colleagues within their chosen disciplines and in the future they will have the opportunity to be fast tracked to managerial positions. Metallon Corporation plans to run its graduate training scheme every two years, and will soon be extending its learnership development programmes to the School of Mines and Polytechnic College cadets and apprentices.
Hopeson Chiswa, head of human resources, Metallon management services, said: “Mining is a fantastic career choice, and what we offer here is a work environment that challenges the trainee and, at the same time, offers fantastic career development opportunities.”
