 The creation of long term positions, accompanied by specialised training to maximise New Caledonian employment, is an axiom of Koniambo Nickel’s human resources approach.
The North Plant needs members of numerous professions to construct, operate and maintain its facilities.
Taking into account the modest industrial development of the Northern Province and a local working population with limited skills required for the operation of the North Plant, Koniambo Nickel is backing education and training to increase the levels of qualification of the current population, and enlarging its recruitment area to include the whole of New Caledonia in order to meet human resource needs. VKP’s employee pool is increasing as are developments in this area.
Thanks to the collaboration of institutions such as the government of New Caledonia, the Northern Province and the State through project Avenir, specified teaching and training programs are now anticipating the future needs of the Plant.
Today, they notably include the creation of a university program for metallurgical technologies (DEUST), the creation of complementary education programs for the plant’s maintenance personnel, and a mining formation section (heavy vehicle operations) with the mining and quarry technical training centre (Poro).
Koniambo Nickel SAS has also foreseen a program providing professional experience, the ‘Programme d’Acquisition d’Expérience Professionnelle’ (PAEP) in Canada with the collaboration of teaching colleges, ‘Colleges d’Enseignement Général et d’Enseignement et Professionnel du Québec’ (CEGEP), and Xstrata plants across the world. We are recruiting for this amongst recent New Caledonian graduates, to provide them with experience in the field of metallurgical extraction prior to the plant’s production phase in 2011.
The first recruiting campaign, for the 50 industrial mechanics and 30 electricians/instrumentalist technicians that Koniambo Nickel SAS will need in 2010, was launched in August 2007.
Amongst the 110 candidates pre-selected by Koniambo Nickel’s training department, 54 were selected through written practical tests conducted by a team from CEGEP Abiti-témiscamingue in October 2007.
Other programs, such as refresher courses for young graduates wishing to complete the DEUST Métallurgie at the University of New Caledonia have been put in place so as to encourage young Caledonian graduates towards a field in which KNS provides ample employment opportunities.
Significant efforts have also been made to enable the acquisition of first-hand experience prior to the launching and commencement of the plant. These initiatives will increase employment opportunities for New Caledonians and significantly reduce the number of expatriate employees that would otherwise be necessary.
New Caledonian graduates will acquire work experience in Xstrata’s industrial exploitation sites in Canada, the Dominican Republic, Australia and other areas around the world.
The possibility of trainee placement with various suppliers or industrial partners, in order to diversify training opportunities, is also being evaluated.
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Human Resources 
