Eight women among apprentice graduates

 NEWCREST Lihir held its annual apprentice graduation ceremony on Lihir Island in December.

Twenty-seven Lihirians, including eight women, graduated from their four-year apprenticeship programme at the Lihir Technical Training Centre (LTTC).

Apprentices represented several disciplines including electrical, metal fabrication welding, auto electrical motor vehicle mechanical, refrigeration, machining, heavy equipment, diesel and maintenance fitting.

Hubert Sikewing received the award for Newcrest Lihir 2013 Apprentice of the Year and Vivian Turtur took the runner-up Apprentice of the Year.

Manager power and utilities John McCormick congratulated all the graduates, said to them that they now had an excellent opportunity to create a future for themselves. 

“Apprentices are the future of Lihir and this is the opportunity to start this journey,” McCormick said.

“A total of 135 apprentices have now graduated from the LTTC which is regarded as one of the best technical training institutes in Papua New Guinea,” he said. 

“This is not the end of learning, it is just the beginning.”

PNG’s National Apprenticeship Trade and Testing Board (NATTB) assistant secretary, Billy Bori, commended Newcrest on its training and development programmes for Papua New Guineans and for Lihirians.

NATTB gave special recognition to Lihirian woman, Judith Maith, presenting her with the NATTB Candidate of the Year Award.

Maith participated in the 2013 NATTB Apprentice of the Year competition in Port Moresby in the trade testing category.

The Newcrest Lihir Technical Training Centre is a purpose built, multi-million kina training and development facility opened in 2008 by New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan.