Tracking Development - Rio Tinto - Qit Madagascar Minerals

The Production Phase
encouraging educational opportunities
It is QMM’s aim to strengthen local populations’ capacities,
enabling everyone the same opportunity to be involved
in the project. The shortcomings noticed at the level of
education and qualification in Fort Dauphin motivated
QMM to establish partnerships from the beginning of
the project, promoting education and training of local
populations.
training has taken place within the region, across
Madagascar and abroad, primarily in South Africa and
Canada. Two hundred and fifty QMM employees have
travelled to South Africa for technical training at Richards Bay
Minerals (RBM). Leadership trainings for QMM managers
were also conducted in South Africa. Superintendents
working for the company travelled to Canada and eighty
employees participated in technical and robotics training in
Fort Dauphin, with trainers flown in from abroad.
Through a joint partnership between the Ministry of
Education, the region of Anosy, the World Bank PIC
programme, UNDP and QMM, the Centre Regional de
Formation professionnelle et De technique d’anosy
(CRFPTA, or Anosy Vocational and Technical Training
Centre), a first-of-its-kind institute in the region, opened in
November 2007. Collaborating with the Alliance Française
for language courses, CRFPTA offers modules in computer
science, accounting, electrical engineering and industrial
mechanics. For students who wish to put their studies into
practice, an apprenticeship programme, providing additional
practical training, commenced in 2010 at Mandena. A group
of 20 apprentices have been awarded scholarships for
their yearlong studies in industrial production, mechanics,
electricity and mineralogical laboratories. Some of the
apprentices will continue to work at QMM, while others
will enrich the skills’ pool of the region.
The establishment of QMM has introduced professionals
with new skills and expertise to the region. QMM
employees frequently provide technical support, advice and
experience sharing in the community outside of work hours,
participating on steering committees, as board members and
leaders in community projects. For example, at the CRFPTA
training centre, QMM employees perform functions of fulltime
board members, providing technical support, assisting
in instructor searches and budget management.
QMM has funded the construction and rehabilitation of
public schools in its neighbouring communities. To date,
ten primary schools have been built with QMM support,
with US$2.6 million invested in education initiatives before
Mandena was built. Essential learning materials have been
donated, such as desks, chairs, lockers, books, notebooks and
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