Alumina Partners of Jamaica (ALPART’S) Industrial Apprenticeship programme has registered a major success with the achievement of 100 percent passes at the HEART Regional graduation function held recently in Mandeville, Manchester.
Alpart’s Training Manager Rupert Miller said, “this marked the first time that a group in the skills areas of millwright, welding and electrical trades were graduating with 100 percent passes in all three trades”.
Mr. Miller said the 18 young Jamaicans represent the fifth group of apprentices trained at ALPART under an ALPART/HEART Trust partnership, which commenced at the Alumina plant at Nain in 1999.
He said that they would be recruited shortly for employment at the company, joining more than 70 tradesmen from the earlier groups, who became full-time employees after graduating from the programme.
The apprentices are recruited and tested by HEART, and earn HEART NTA world standard certification at the end of a four to five year period of intensive in house training at the plant.
Geanarchie Wilson, of Alpart’s Training Department has pointed out at the ceremony that while in training the apprentices are rotated through the different working areas of the plant while gaining in-depth, cross functional experience in the Alumina processing system.
“The programme was designed to provide Alpart and the bauxite industry with a highly trained skills resource base, and both Alpart and HEART are pleased with the outcome of the programme to date,” said Mr. Wilson.
Former Director of HEART, Rupert Gregory has rated the programme as a model for industrial training. He noted that the bauxite company should be congratulated for playing a lead role in the area of Human Resource development.
