Career Development

Almost more than the economic resource, it is the human resource that holds the key to the success of a mining company. Beyond merely acknowledging this, Koidu Holdings has bought wholesale into this philosophy and has sought to make it the foundation of our strategic policy.

Since the inception of operations in 2003, we have made the development of our human resources, at every level, a top priority. Today, some of our people at middle level management are Sierra Leoneans who were originally recruited as assistants, labourers or security guards, demonstrating the career progression opportunities within Koidu Holdings and our willingness to invest in the training and development of our employees.

Training is not only important for the personal development of our human resources, but also to ensure that international best practices are adhered to and that safety is continually front and foremost in the minds of all our employees.

  • Mining To be able to meet the 500% increase in mining rates called for by the Expansion Project mine plan, Koidu Holdings purchased a new fleet of larger mining equipment to supplement the existing mining capacity. Operating these larger machines safely is extremely important and so our current mining employees were enrolled for re-training to upgrade their skills levels, and new mining recruits joined them on the programme. Koidu Holdings appointed an expert team from South Africa to conduct the training on site from March 2011 to September 2011. A total of 226 trainees were successful and were awarded an internationally recognised certificate by Prisma Training (Pty) Ltd, in courses ranging from Competency A, general safety, blasting and blasting certification, to the advanced operation of the new 40 tonne ADTs, drill rigs, dozers, graders, excavators and front end loaders.
  • Mining Operators In March 2007, Abdul Rahman Shaw was selected to attend a Volvo training course in Sweden. On his return, he was promoted to Chief Instructor of the Earthmoving Fleet at the Koidu Kimberlite Project, responsible for on-site training of all operators of the mining fleet. He has subsequently been back to Sweden on a second training course and completed the training programme carried out by Prisma Training on site. "This is a clear manifestation for motivation and a sense of acknowledgement, in line with my responsibilities. I really feel that Koidu Holdings management is committed to the maximum level of inspiring its employees, thereby improving on my skills and giving a feeling of belonging to the organization. This encourages workers to give their utmost talents in order to achieve operational objectives," explained Shaw.
  • Agriculture Phillip Sorboeh (pictured) and Aia Bindi were selected to attend a course on growing vegetables at the Centre for Agricultural Management at the University of the Free State, South Africa, in early December 2007. "The objective of my training was to help me acquire the basic skills required to manage the Company's vegetable production project for the resettled communities, as part of its livelihood restoration programme, and to help the people to grow and market their vegetables profitably," says Phillip.
  • Logistics Due to the remoteness of our operations, the logistical supply chain is an ever present challenge, requiring a skilled team to meet the demands of our growing Company. We have developed a strong logistics department, who have taken on these challenges by acquiring new skills and applying their knowledge with enthusiasm. One of our bright stars , Abdul Mansaray, who has grown into the position of Stores Manager, described his progress within Koidu Holdings: "When I joined Koidu Holdings as a Inventory Control Assistant in 2005, I underwent intensive in-house training, including Inventory Management , Warehouse Management and Procurement Management, as well as learning how to use the Pastel Accounting Software. I was later trained on how to use Crystal Report to extract information from Pastel Accounting, to be used as an inventory management report for the Logistics/Stores Department and  other end user Departments.   This training and new dynamic skills acquired boosted my performance and efficiency. I started growing in ranks after the completion of my training and, in recognition and reward for hard work and high level of performance, I was promoted to the position of Warehouse Supervisor, and then to Stores Manager in November 2007."
  • Logistics As Supervisor of the camp for the senior Sierra Leonean and expatriate staff, Mohamad Koroma oversees all local procurement and distribution of food and consumables. With his training on Pastel Evolution, he ensures that the supplies are managed efficiently and our employees are well cared for.
  • Finance and Logistics The Finance and Logistics Departments work very closely and ,therefore, integrating systems between them is key to procurement efficiency and effective cost control. The introduction of the Pastel Accounting software, such as Pastel Evolution, requires training of new employees and to improve skills of existing users.
  • Geology To maintain the high standards within the Geology Department and ensure the mineral resource management is in line with international standards, our geologists operate advanced exploration and geological modeling software produced by Gemcom. With the addition of two new Geologists to the Geology Department in July 2011, a Gemcom instructor visited the mine to train the new members of our team and refresh existing skills.
  • Plant Engineering The first phase of the engineering training takes place on the mine. During this phase, new recruits are given an opportunity to work alongside and be coached by skilled members of the team. All new recruits are employed on a probation period and, should they show sufficient potential, are employed permanently in the plant engineering team. Koidu Holdings is currently developing the second phase of this training. This will involve developing assessments and standards and training and assessing all engineering employees against these standards. This second phase of the engineering training will commence early in 2012.
  • Induction All new employees to the mine go through a Mine Induction process which includes general safety, health, environmental and security, such as the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE), Health and Safety policies and Hazards and being aware of potential risks on the mine. Certain departments such as mining, metallurgy and engineering also give new employees a department-specific induction, which covers, amongst others, legal requirements, lock-out procedures, incident reporting, hazards and safety and health precautions related to the specific functional areas.

Interviews with Trainees

ADT operator talks about training received in Sweden and the long term opportunities the skills have brought.
Assistant Admin Supervisor talks about the overall scope of training and skills which local people have received.
The Excavator Operator Acting Foreman talks about the value in continual skills development.