As part of our ongoing commitment to investing in local talent and nationalising the workforce, we recently hosted our third leadership development trip, bringing five PNG nationals to Australia for face-to-face leadership training and site familiarisation.
This trip followed two successful previous visits with one site team. This time, however, the experience was expanded to include personnel from both site teams, providing a richer opportunity for growth and cross-team collaboration.
The itinerary was packed with valuable experiences, including leadership training at the Australian Institute of Management (AIM), immersive site visits to Gladstone and Chinchilla, and time spent connecting with colleagues at the Brisbane office. In addition to the professional development, the team had a weekend to explore, balancing learning with some well-deserved leisure.
As part of the experience, the team were taken for a social outing at the local bowling alley, a first for the PNG team. With the help of a YouTube tutorial, the team quickly got into the spirit of the game and Julian, Lihir Blast and Paint Supervisor made an impressive debut, scoring the highest among the 20 participants – not bad for his first time bowling!
Igibe, SMP Supervisor reflected on his experience in Australia,
“Everything was perfectly planned and I’m so grateful. I had a great training experience at AIM which adds value to my career and enjoyed my first time bowling,” Igibe said.
“The adventurous trip to Chinchilla was amazing and unforgettable – I have many stories to tell in PNG.”
So far, 15 PNG nationals have participated in this development initiative, with half of the previous cohort now in senior roles onsite. As of October 2024, 83 per cent of our workforce in PNG is comprised of PNG nationals, well on the way to the 2028 target of 87 per cent.
A special thank you to our Gladstone and Chinchilla operations teams for supporting us in planning and hosting our personnel during the trip.