Six trainees from Pagini Kainantu Limited and Jerilai Pujari Transport Limited have completed an intensive eight-week industry skills programme in Napa Napa, strengthening workforce readiness among landowner communities linked to Papua New Guinea's resource sector.
The trainees were selected from communities associated with major resource developments across the country, with the programme designed to increase local participation in skilled roles within the mining, oil and gas industries.
Four participants — one woman and three men — came from communities within the Papua LNG Upstream Project Area in Gulf Province, while the remaining two were from landowner communities connected to the Kainantu Gold Mine.
During the programme, participants completed a range of practical and safety-focused modules, including camp living, occupational health and safety awareness, fire training, basic first aid and CPR/AED, lashing and securing loads, working at heights, excavator operations and roller operations.
According to the organisers, none of the trainees had previously undertaken the training modules offered during the programme, making the course a significant milestone in their professional development.
All participants received Class 7 learner permits and training logs from the Central Province Traffic Authority and were awarded Australian-standard Verification of Competency certificates upon successful completion of the course.
The training was delivered by certified instructors and combined classroom learning with practical field exercises aimed at reinforcing workplace safety, operational competency and industry readiness.
Steve Drennan, executive at Native Industries, said the initiative represented an investment in both people and communities.
“This programme is more than just skills training — it is an investment in our people and in the future of our landowner communities. For many of these young men and women, this is their first step into a professional pathway, and seeing their confidence grow has been incredibly rewarding. Pagini Group is proud to support initiatives that lift capability, create opportunity, and ensure our communities are active participants in the nation’s major resource projects.”
The programme forms part of Pagini Group's broader localisation strategy, which aims to develop a skilled and safety-competent national workforce drawn from landowner communities connected to major resource projects.
While the company has conducted more than 400 Verification of Competency assessments across its operations, organisers said the initiative marked the first fully integrated end-to-end training programme delivered under the group's own framework. Unlike stand-alone competency assessments, the course provides a structured development pathway, beginning with foundational safety training and progressing through practical equipment operation and nationally recognised certifications.
The initiative is intended to create job-ready candidates from communities that have historically had limited access to formal industry training, while also helping to standardise workforce competencies in line with Papua New Guinea and Australian industry standards. It also supports the company's goal of strengthening community partnerships by creating greater opportunities for landowners to participate directly in operational roles.
Training supervisors commended participants for their commitment, discipline and progress throughout the eight-week programme.
In addition to technical training, the course emphasised teamwork, communication and professional conduct, skills considered essential for careers in operations, logistics, construction and resource-sector support services.
A key objective of the programme is to ensure communities hosting major resource projects benefit directly from employment and skills-development opportunities. The initiative also supports broader efforts to increase national workforce participation and reduce reliance on expatriate labour in technical and operational roles.
Two of the graduates have already commenced operational work on site.
With the programme now complete, the graduates are expected to be better positioned to enter the workforce and contribute to both their communities and Papua New Guinea's resource sector.
Pagini Group plans to deliver a second course in the third quarter of 2026.
