Margaret Nzima Kalebuka,

Plant Metallurgist at the Nkana smelter and refinery

At KCM I have had the chance to develop professionally through training and knowledge sharing, and have gained global leadership skills and experience through secondment in India to one of the companies in the Vedanta Group.

I joined KCM in 2007 as a metallurgist. My initial role was to identify and resolve production stoppers or bottlenecks by initiating and implementing various improvement projects.
I have gained extensive experience and progressed professionally while at KCM. Today, I am working as a plant metallurgist at Nkana Refinery and Anodes sections. My job is to produce good grade anodes and cathodes in the most cost efficient and effective manner by controlling and optimising all the processes. My main priority is to ensure high quality anodes and cathodes which meet acceptable standards both chemically and physically.
In the first half of 2014, I was seconded to one of the other companies in the Vedanta Group getting a chance to work at Sesa Sterlite Copper Refinery and Smelter in Tuticorin, India. The purpose of my secondment was to gain global leadership skills and experience, to benchmark my skills and learn global best practices, to manage diversity across business levels, and to gain exposure elsewhere across the Vedanta Group.

Precious Mwamulima,

Management Trainee on KCM’s world class Graduate Development Programme

The programme offers a unique, unparalleled learning experience and each rotation serves as a platform to build upon skills, acquire new ones, and advance my career.

After graduating from the University of Zambia I wanted to commence my career by working for a global organization that emphasized core values and harnessing of potential. I strongly identified with KCM and recognized the wealth of opportunities available at a company of its magnitude. I have found an organization committed to sustainable business practices and a robust graduate development programme (GDP) that provides individuals with leadership training, skills development, resources and support to reach their goals.
The KCM GDP understands that starting in a new company can be a daunting process and thus mentors are assigned to Management Trainees. My mentor helps me set my career development path through consultation and sharing of knowledge.
Through the training I have acquired a diverse set of skills with a deep comprehension and appreciation of all facets of the business. As a Graduate Management Trainee I have been involved in a series of challenging and diverse placements in the integrated business units which has furnished a broad range of experiences, high level of exposure of day-to-day strategic operations, and enabling me to take a lead on projects.
My experience thus far and the relationships I have built have been invaluable and a catalyst to both my career and my personal development. I personally recommend the KCM Graduate Development Program to individuals who have an insatiable desire to excel in a fast-paced environment and a willingness to constantly challenge themselves in a global organization.

Gilbert Ngosa,

Electrical Trainee at Kitwe Trades School

The training has been very beneficial to me as an individual because I have been equipped with the knowledge and skills I will use for the rest of my life. The acquired knowledge and skills shall also benefit KCM, and ultimately the nation as a whole.

I am in my third and final year of my technical training at Kitwe Trades School, the vocational training school KCM runs. The training is sponsored by KCM and allows me to gain further technical skills and know how and to qualify as an artisan. After applying and successfully completing the aptitude tests I was admitted to the programme.
I joined KCM back in 2007 in Nchanga, however, initially working as an operator in the tank houses at the tailings leach plant which produces copper cathodes from concentrator tailings and reclaimed tailings. I was later transferred to the control room for the new tank houses, again, as an operator.
At Kitwe Trades School, the training is set up in four phases with both class room and in-plant teaching. The first phase, known as the Across Trade Core Programme (ATCP) was tailored to impart basic engineering skills, while the second phase, the Trade Core Programme (TCP), involves the learning of basic electrical skills. The third phase, known as the Specialized Training Programme (STP), goes into the details of the electrical trade both in theory and practice. The final phase is the Modular Training Programme (MTP) which provides specialization in selected electrical plants used in certain business units.
I am currently doing my MTP and I am in the middle of the in-plant training at the Motor Repair Shop where I am being exposed to the servicing and testing of different types of motors and transformers. After I have spent one month there I will move to the Tailings Leach Plant for another one month training before returning to the classroom for the remainder of the programme. My training at the plant is supervised by the Engineering Training and Development Officer – Electrical allowing me to gain real on-the-job experience. Once completed, I will graduate as an Artisan.