TWO final year mining engineering students have completed their 12 weeks of industrial training with the Mineral Resources Development Company (MRDC).
Working with MRDC’s Technical Division, Agaigi Tavake and Frank Veapi, have completed their final requirement to Graduate in on the 17th of April 2026, with a Bachelor in Mining Engineering (Honours) at University of Technology (UOT) in Lae, Morobe.
The pair were working on mining and petroleum production data collection, analysis and updates of Oil, Gas, Nickel and Cobalt from MRDC’s JV partners.
Agaigi said the training, “enhanced our technical, analytical, and professional skills in data management, legal and compliance awareness, safety protocols, and stakeholder engagements.
“The experience gave us confidence for a future engineering career.
“We learnt a lot about the role of MRDC in building sustainable investments for landowner communities.”
Their training also captured site visits to the ExxonMobil Plant site facility as and Santos Agogo Plant Facility.
Sharing from that experience, Frank said, “We visited large scale LNG operations, infrastructure, safety protocols and production processes at the marine terminal.
“We observed the process of loading an LNG ship and crude oil storage tanks.
“Our visit to the Agogo facility helped us understand the APF-tie in project and we familiarized ourselves with equipment for extracting oil and associated gas at the well pads.”
MRDC maintains strong partnerships with tertiary institutions, TVET institutions to support skills development and create industry‑ready pathways for young Papua New Guineans.