Trade testing system vital

Business

THE National Apprenticeship and Trade Testing Board has conducted tests for heavy equipment fitters and electrical workers at the Porgera gold mine.
The testing was to check the skills level of Pogera Joint Venture (PJV) employees and certify them accordingly.
Board quality assurance and accreditation officer William Tiru said the board was a statutory body set up under an Act of Parliament to certify trade personnel in PNG.
“It is like a quality check on the skill level of employees,” he said.
“We work in partnership with the Porgera Joint Venture to recognise and certify the skilled workforce.”
PJV Maintenance specialist trainer Ian Ritchie said that from a company perspective, “we believe that the training requirement put in place by the PNG government is not only beneficial to PNG nationals but also very important to our own company”.
“We need trained staff and we put in a large effort to train those staff to ensure that we get the best possible outcome for both the employees as well as the company,” he said.
Tiru said the board coordinated two systems – the apprenticeship system is where employers recruit or engage apprentices for four years, and the trade testing system is conducted at PJV.