For many young people growing up in communities around a mine, having the opportunity to acquire a technical skill can be an important first step towards earning a living.
Newmont’s skills development programme in its Ahafo host communities is helping young people gain technical skills, workplace experience and access to jobs, with 96% of graduates from its first three cohorts now employed.
Thirty young people from Newmont’s 10 host communities in Ahafo graduated from the company’s Learnership Programme this year, taking the number of people who have completed the current programme since 2023 to 99.
For the graduates, the programme has provided an opportunity to learn technical skills, work alongside experienced personnel and gain a better understanding of what is required in the workplace before moving into employment.
Training for real work
The Learnership Programme combines technical training with mentorship, coaching and practical experience.
It initially focused on Haul Truck Operations but has since expanded to include Drill and Blast Operations and Process Plant Operations. This has opened up different routes for young people interested in working in various areas of mining.
The practical component is an important part of the training. Participants get to apply what they learn in a working environment, while gaining experience with the systems, procedures and expectations that come with operating in the mining industry.
For young people entering the world of work, that exposure can make the transition from training to employment less difficult.
From skills to employment
The clearest indication of the programme’s impact is what has happened to graduates after completing their training.
Ninety-six per cent of graduates from the 2023, 2024 and 2025 cohorts have secured employment. Some are working with Newmont, while others have found jobs with the company’s third-party contractors.
The employment figures for the 2026 cohort are still being tracked as the latest graduates move into the workforce.
The result means that the programme is not simply producing young people with technical training. A significant proportion of those trained are moving on to actual jobs.
Growing a local pool of skilled workers
The programme is also helping increase the number of young people from Ahafo’s host communities with skills that are relevant to the mining industry.
Young people from all 10 host communities in Ahafo North and South have completed the programme since 2023. The number of graduates has varied from year to year, with 19 completing the programme in 2023, 33 in 2024, 17 in 2025 and 30 in 2026.
Some graduates have joined Newmont, while others have taken up opportunities with contractors working within the mining operation.
That creates a wider pool of people from the surrounding communities who have experience in the industry and can compete for jobs that require technical skills.
Building on two decades of skills development
The current Learnership Programme is not Newmont’s first investment in technical training for young people in its host communities.
Since 2005, the company has operated the Newmont Apprenticeship Programme, which has trained community youth in technical skills for careers as maintenance technicians with Newmont, its business partners and other industries.
Newmont has also provided learnership opportunities over the years to support community members seeking operational roles. These efforts included helping develop some of the first haul truck and equipment operators at Ahafo South from the mine’s host communities.
The current programme builds on that experience while widening the range of technical areas available to participants.
What the training means for communities
For the young people who complete the programme, the immediate benefit is the combination of a technical skill, practical experience and exposure to the workplace.
For those who find jobs, the benefit extends to their households through the income that comes with employment. At community level, having more young people with marketable technical skills also adds to the pool of local workers available to businesses operating around the mine.
The programme therefore links skills development with an issue that matters directly to many young people in mining communities: finding a job after completing training.
A pipeline that is growing
The latest group of 30 graduates brings the total number of participants who have completed the current Learnership Programme to 99 since 2023.
With training now covering haul truck, drill and blast, and process plant operations, the programme is creating more than one route into the mining workforce.
As Newmont marks 20 years of commercial operations in Ghana, the experience in Ahafo shows how sustained investment in technical training can help young people from host communities acquire skills, gain workplace experience and move into employment.
The 96% employment rate among the first three cohorts provides one measure of that progress, while the growing number of trained young people points to a broader outcome: a stronger pool of locally skilled workers with experience that can be used within the mine, its contractor network and potentially other industries.
