The success of any mining operation ultimately depends on its workforce.
In Papua New Guinea (PNG), where projects operate in remote locations with multi-million-dollar investments at stake, the importance of comprehensive training for staff at all levels cannot be overstated.
At the coal face, poorly trained machine operators and mine workers can cause operational delays, equipment downtime, and even critical safety incidents.
The challenge for PNG mining operators is finding training solutions that deliver measurable results across a range of skill levels, from entry-level technicians to senior management.
PNG mining companies typically adopt two primary strategies for workforce development. The first involves establishing in-house training programs that leverage company-specific equipment, procedures, and case studies. This approach, while resource-intensive, ensures staff understand exactly how their employer operates and what standards are expected.
The second strategy involves partnering with external training organisations – whether universities, trade schools, or specialised training companies. This approach offers access to certified programs and broader industry standards, often at lower upfront costs than developing capability internally.
Most PNG miners and mining service providers adopt a combination of both strategies.
Building excellence in-house
One company placing a significant emphasis on in-house training infrastructure is Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML). The company has built its own wide-ranging training ecosystem, centred on a purpose-built campus that has trained over 10,000 OTML staff since 1982.
The Star Mountains Training Institute in Tabubil, around 25km from the Ok Tedi mine, is its own registered training organisation, one that has been certified by the PNG National Training Council. Providing regular training for critical skills, the institute also runs ongoing programs that connect with OTML’s graduate development scheme, apprenticeships, and on-the-job training.
Ok Tedi has also established partnerships with several PNG universities, enabling high-performing students to undertake a 10-week industrial training program with the mine. This offers the students a vital opportunity for hands-on experience, facing real-world challenges in areas linked to their individual academic discipline.
The company’s undergraduate scholarship scheme has helped to develop skills in a wide range of departments, including engineering and roads, power services, environment and geology, and exploration.
Santos – which has a long-established base in PNG – has taken a similar approach to in-house training, recently launching a leadership academy as part of its Global Support Centre in Port Moresby.
The academy, which focuses on nurturing top graduates from leading PNG universities, seeks to further advance Santos’ national employment figures alongside developing required skills internally.
Across its local operations, Santos has achieved over 90 per cent PNG national employment and 80 per cent PNG leadership representation. From here, the Global Support Centre aims to “in-source” engineering and maintenance roles, focusing on employing PNG nationals to support the Eastern Australia PNG asset portfolio.
Santos country chair for PNG Leon Buskens said staff from the Global Support Centre were also gaining valuable insights from visiting the company’s Australian facilities.
State-owned oil company Kumul Petroleum adds a responsibility for wider national development to its reasons for investing in staff development and training infrastructure. It is currently developing a training and steel fabrication facility in Caution Bay, close to its liquified natural gas plant there.
Kumul managing director Wapu Sonk said the project had dual drivers to increase the local contribution to PNG-based goods and services.
“The training and fabrication facility fulfils all the necessary elements for increased national content: workforce development through enhanced training; and supplier development through new local manufacturing capability,” he said.
With the development of new gas fields and mining projects over the coming years, Sonk said more than 300,000 tonnes of structural, mechanical and piping modules, and other steel fabrication would be required, and with that a new generation of steel workers would need to be trained.
K92 Mining has also made education a central pillar of its strategy, combining workforce development with its community outreach and sustainability programs. The company has memoranda of understanding with four PNG universities, and last year provided 66 tertiary scholarships to local students.
Discussing its development strategies with the PNG Chamber of Resources and Energy, K92 chief executive officer John Lewins said the company deliberately focused on education and training at all levels of the workforce, and offered a national scholarship for the top mining, metallurgy, and geology students in the country.
Leveraging external experts
While internal training programs offer customisation benefits, many PNG mining companies are also finding value in partnering with external training organisations that offer specialised expertise and recognised certifications.
This approach enables companies to access high-quality training without fronting the investment required for internal program development.
Rescue Group Services exemplifies this external training model, having achieved Registered Training Organisation (RTO) status in Australia. This certification enables the company to deliver Australian-standard training across more than 65 different courses, spanning five categories of mine site safety.
Rescue Group offers transferable qualifications that workers can carry throughout their careers, whether in PNG, Australia, or further afield. This has the potential to enhance employee retention.
“Companies are finding that when they go above the basic standards, they get more workers staying for longer,” Rescue Group CEO Nick van Pooss told PNG Mining.
“The savings on recruitment costs help pay for the training, which also delivers a more skilled, more productive, and ultimately lower risk workforce.”
Equipment supplier Lincom also offers training as a third party, with its courses directly connected to its core work. Launched last year at the company’s Brisbane headquarters, the Lincom Training Institute provides hands-on training using exact replicas of equipment dashboards and configurations used on mine sites.
Training is offered as a free, value-added bonus to Lincom clients.
Lincom chief executive officer Stephen Watterson describes the institute as a “game-changer” for PNG-based clients, with the company’s comprehensive support – from initial equipment delivery through to ongoing maintenance and training – reflecting an industry trend towards long-term service partnerships rather than one-off equipment transactions.
PNG universities represent another crucial third-party training resource for the mining industry.
The PNG University of Technology (Unitech) in Lae offers specialised mining engineering programs, including Bachelor of Mining Engineering and Bachelor of Mineral Processing Engineering degrees. These four-year programs provide the technical foundation that mining companies require, with graduates forming a significant portion of the nation’s professionally trained workforce.
The University of Papua New Guinea is another critical talent developer for PNG mining operations. As the country’s biggest university, it contributes to mining skills development through its science, engineering, and business-focused programs.
The relationship between PNG universities and mining companies extends beyond degrees into ongoing professional development and industry partnerships.
Mining companies actively recruit from these institutions while also providing scholarship support and industrial training opportunities that bridge academic knowledge with practical application.
The PNG mining sector’s training evolution reflects both the industry’s maturation and the growing recognition that workforce development is fundamental to operational success.
Whether through internal academies or external partnerships, mining companies are finding that investment in comprehensive training programs delivers measurable returns, delivering improved safety, productivity, and employee retention.
This feature appeared in the August–September 2025 issue of PNG Mining.
