Image credit: [sunshineseeds]@123RF.com

This year’s theme of International Youth Day, which took place on 12 August 2023, was ‘Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World’, focusing on the green transition and the development of ‘green skills and knowledge’ such as the technical understanding of effective use of green technologies and processes.

In honour of this, Kamoto Copper Company (KCC), a large-scale industrial copper and cobalt producer in the Lualaba province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), established partnerships with local technical schools, giving pupils the opportunity to see how the scientific subjects they learn in class are applied in the workplace.

The graduate programme, in turn, will accommodate 50 young talents and familiarise them with all aspects of the operations, in addition to their area of speciality, over a two-year period.

Supporting sustainable integration into the workforce

Through its relationships with universities and colleges of applied technology in Kolwezi and Lubumbashi, KCC also offers real-life insights to students not only on scientific content but across a range of business themes such as ethics and compliance.

Clint Donkin, Head of Glencore Copper Africa, said: “Attracting, developing and retaining a diverse and inclusive workforce with relevant skills is vital to securing long-term success. It is important to us that our impact in this regard begins at the school level, is carried through tertiary education and continues through a graduate’s career stages.

Of interest to you
Zambia: Youth seek climate-smart agri-solutions in innovation challenge

“Since Glencore has well-established partnerships focused on education and skills development, it makes sense to expand these beyond mining, to include the technical knowledge and skills required to support the collective, global transition to a sustainable future.”

Bernard Ndala, responsible for National Development at KCC concludes, “Our intention is to integrate sustainability throughout our business. International days of observance such as Youth Day help focus collective attention on issues that affect all of humanity so that together, we can mobilise our respective resources to seek out workable, long-term solutions that will serve the youth in the DRC now and for generations to come.”