Sustainability website / Economic contribution / Community skills and training

Community skills and training programmes are in place at many operations and projects, in particular in regions with a high concentration of unskilled workers or unemployment. These programmes aim to equip members of the communities in the operations’ area of influence with the necessary skills to gain employment with or act as suppliers to Xstrata and other companies.

In South Africa, our businesses have invested in adult basic education and training (ABET) programmes for employees which are also made available to community members. In 2007, Xstrata Coal South Africa constructed a community ABET centre which is managed by the company at an annual cost of ZAR6.2 million. Over 270 community members have participated in adult basic education and training in 2007, at the Kwa-Guqa community ABET centre. Over 300 employees at Xstrata Alloys and Xstrata Coal operations participated in ABET in 2007.

Xstrata Copper’s Tampakan project in the Philippines was awarded the Kabalikat Award in September, by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the government agency responsible for overseeing the technical education and skills development of the nation’s workforce. The award recognises the Tampakan project’s commitment to uplifting the lives of local communities through its support for competence and skills training. In 2008, these programmes will be further extended through the introduction of carpentry, masonry, basic electrical and welding training programmes for three of the local barangays (municipal localities).

At Xstrata Nickel’s Raglan operation in the Canadian arctic, an indigenous training programme has been created in partnership with local communities and the Kativik and Katinniq regional governments. The second phase of the programme will be rolled out in 2008. The programme’s objective is to enable a greater representation of Inuit employees at the Raglan operation, towards our goal of 20% of employees from Inuit communities.

Xstrata Alloys’ Eastern Limb community skills training centre has been accredited by MQA (mines qualification authority) and is ISO 2001 certified. The skills centre has played an important role in enabling the new Lion ferrochrome operation to maximise local employment and in assisting community members to find employment with other industrial companies present in the region, in an area of high unemployment. A second community skills training centre has been approved for the western operations and construction will commence in 2008. The training centres each cater for approximately 500 learnerships and artisans per annum.