Newcrest workers undergo training on belt splicing

Youth & Careers

EIGHTEEN employees of Newcrest Lihir have received certificates after attending eight months of training on belt splicing.
These workers, all from the fixed plant maintenance rubber and belts department, were awarded certificates marking the completion of level 1 of the three-part programme.
The mining company said it was a proud moment for the teams who have been enthusiastic and focused on upgrading their skills and knowledge in this specialised area of mining work and highlighting its importance to the industry.
Conveyor belts are continuous lengths of belts that travel around head and tail pulleys. They take the ore from the crushers to the mills for grinding and processing.
As they vary in length, the belt material is brought to the site in rolls then belt sections are joined to get the desired lengths needed on the pulleys.
The process of joining the belt materials is called splicing. A lot of preparation goes into combining the layers of belt to ensure that they’re strong and durable in transporting the ore from various crushers and stockpiles to the mills.
Fixed plant maintenance training coordinator Michael Garrett said that not only was this the beginning of formal recognition of the belt splicing trade, but
it would also serve as a guideline in assessing employees’ qualifications.
“Level 1 is the foundation unit and the start of formal recognition of the skill set of the current team. Now that it’s completed, Level 2 and 3 are the more technical components which we will use as a guideline to assess employment levels in recognition of an achieved skill set,” he said.
Meanwhile, rubber and belts coordinator Darren Perkins applauded trainers John Malala, Michael Garrett, Sitiveni Nalatu and Dallas Morgan for making the programme become a reality.
“I am extremely proud of the team effort to date,” he said.
“I can only see a positive way forward for new employees and trainees,” he said.
“We envisage a nationally recognised accredited programme with close assistance from the National Apprenticeship and Trades Training Board (NATTB) which requires us to show an established solid training programme with evidence and achievements from the courses conducted.”