120 graduate from Base Titanium’s Recognition of Prior Learning program

Kwale-based Australian mining firm Base Titanium has stepped up its Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme.

The mining firm celebrated the accomplishments of 120 Base employees who successfully completed the RPL programme upon successful assessment by the National Training Industrial Authority (NITA).

RPL, formerly known as Accreditation of Prior Learning, provides for recognition and validation of skills, knowledge, and competencies that individuals have acquired formally and non-formally.

Recognition of Prior Learning is a process through which the skills, knowledge, and competencies gained by an individual through work experience, informal training, or life experiences are recognised towards the attainment of a formal qualification or certification.

Mining Principal Secretary (PS), Elijah Mwangi, presided over the graduation and certification ceremony where 120 highly trained professionals were issued with certificates under the RPL at Base Titanium’s Site in Kwale County.

PS Mwangi says the achievement comes after years of intensive and extensive hands-on training in diverse fields under Base Titanium’s Training and Skills Development (TSD) Program.

All the 120 cohorts now possess requisite documentation that is commensurate with their competencies and skills, and therefore their skills, experiences, and diverse competencies make them ready to apply their knowledge in various capacities of nation-building.

Mining Principal Secretary Elijah Mwang

The PS stated that according to Mining Act Cap 309, a key requirement for granting a mining license to an investor is the guarantee that the critical components of training, capacity-building, and skills transfer to workers and the qualified community members must be adhered to.

Base Titanium General Manager, Operations, Denham Vickers, says since the RPL program’s inception in 2022, over 154 members of the workforce have been assessed across a wide range of trades.

He says the RPL programme is an important means of training that seeks to recognise skills by awarding certificates to technically experienced individuals who did not go through the formal education system.

Vickers says the trade includes private security supervision, welding, carpentry and joinery, electrical wiring, painting, plant mechanics, plumbing, HDPE piping, power plant operations, refrigeration and air conditioning.

Others are rigging, rubber lining, scaffolding, solar systems, general fitting, gas welding, cabinet making, and motor vehicle mechanics. He said this was the 4th cohort of a joint collaboration and effort between Base Titanium, NITA, and KNQA in the skilling, assessment, and certification of individuals through RPL.

“Through our ‘Life after Mine’ programme, we are ensuring that our staff have the skills and resources needed for a smooth transition,” he said. He added that it can help gaduants to gain recognition for their skills and knowledge besides improving their career prospects.

The mining firm is expediting the RPL programme following the depletion of mining reserves and announced that it will cease mining operations by December 2024. The company has been mining rutile, ilmenite, and zircon, all critical minerals, since 2013, accounting for approximately 65% of Kenya’s mining industry by mineral output value.

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