Aurora Gold Mine conducts recruitment drive in Linden

Several Lindeners have benefited from a recent recruitment drive exercise conducted by Aurora Gold Mine (AGM) Inc.
The exercise which was conducted at the Linden Technical Institute (LTI) saw over 200 persons in attendance.
The company’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Leon Roberts said while the exercise was conducted in several other regions, the opportunity was also extended to Linden, given its wide array of skill set in the mining area.
He noted that recognising there was a pool of skills available in communities where the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) would have laid off employees or when the estates would have either closed or downsized, the company felt it represented a great opportunity to update its skills database.
Roberts said this was done in an effort to have an idea in terms of what skills were available from those areas.
“And as those vacancies become available we would have persons who we could call on to fill those positions. But, we wanted to extend that opportunity not only to the employees along the sugar belt but also from other areas across Guyana,” he indicated.
The PRO added that AGM has a variety of job opportunities suitable for the interests of many, including cooks, heavy-duty operators, lab technicians, water plant operators, security operators and others.
He said the exercise allowed persons to highlight their skills, which is matched by the company.
“Linden is traditionally a pool of skills, readily available to the mining industry and so we wanted to also give our potential employees from this area a chance to indicate what their skills and interests are. So that when those positions become available we can match them to the persons,” he noted.
“If there’s a particular vacancy for a particular skill that you have right now then you’ll be employed on the spot…if not…then we’ll add you to our skills database,” the PRO added.
At the exercise, officials interacted with those in attendance, as they explained the guiding principles and operations of the company as it relates to safety. According to Roberts, as the company seeks to expand, it is set to become Guyana’s largest mining company.

“The type of underground mining we’re considering allows a truck to drive down the shaft…and it allows you to go down maybe a kilometer…So that shift in the orientation of your thinking when it comes to understanding what underground mining will entail and what would become necessary, that’s what we want to address…,” he added.
In this regard, he noted that underground miners and safety personnel as well as engineers are definitely needed. AGM’s Administration Manager Peter Benny stated that the company was hoping to acquire a wide array of skills throughout the country as he noted that the response so far has been overwhelming.
He said Linden alone, which has proven to have a significant amount of skills for mining, saw over 200 applicants.
“…it has been a very good turnout from the young people, lots of men and several women. We hope that in the not so distant future we will be engaging some of those skills to work permanently or temporarily…,” he explained.
In addition, he stated that the company started a programme to encourage more women in the areas of mechanics, electric work and operations, which he pointed out has already seen some women from Linden on board. He also encourages more women to get on board as he noted that there are strict policies in place to protect them.