HAYES, Clarendon - Jamalco, in partnership with the HEART Trust/NTA Breadnut Valley Engineering Institute, has embarked on a bold initiative to train, assess and certify haulage truck operators employed to Jamalco as contractors.

Some 29 truck owners operating at the refinery and in the mines recently met with key stakeholders, including the Ministry of Transport and Works and the Caribbean Maritime Institute, to flesh out the design and format of the programme which is in its developmental phase.

The programme will encompass the operation of heavy mobile equipment according to international standards and is intended to ensure that all licensed operators are trained and certified in additional competencies and that they are numerate and literate.

In addition to the certification of the operators, lands and mine operations manager and mobile equipment team sponsor, Leighton Jones, said "the initiative will help to standardise the operations and hopefully lead to the reduction of incidents and increased productivity".

Director of the Heart Trust/NTA Breadnut Valley facility Robert Green is excited about the prospect of this programme, having previously contributed to the refinery's expansion through the training of welders and other skilled workers. HEART is currently training instrumentation technicians.

"The opportunity to see mobile equipment operators trained and certified will definitely add significantly to the Jamalco operation," Green said.

Another meeting will be held with all the parties following a review of the certification documents. The HEART Trust/NTA team will then be advised on the number of persons to be trained.