Choir students talk of opportunities provided by Oyu Tolgoi

Education making the difference for star performers

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (ot.mn) – Three students who performed at the opening of new school buildings at the Govisumber Mining School of Excellence in Choir on Saturday have spoken out about the opportunities the facilities are providing them.

Enebish (19), a talented horse fiddle player, said the one year course that taught him to become a heavy machinery operator offered ‘much more quality than the shorter courses that used to be provided’.

He added that mining was the key driver for Mongolia’s future and that training for extractive industry work was ‘definitely required’.

Badmaarag, a mining logistics student at the school, is a talented singer. She appeared in a play written by one of the school’s teachers on Saturday. She is also thankful to Oyu Tolgoi for giving her a chance to embark on a new profession.

Choykhoynatsag (17), also sang at the ceremony. He is studying to drive an excavator. He echoed the comments of his fellow students and the Director of the School, Enkhbat G, who said that Oyu Tolgoi had ‘opened his eyes to what is possible’. 

Cameron McRae, CEO of Oyu Tolgoi said that he was delighted that the collaboration between Oyu Tolgoi and the Govisumber Mining School of Excellence was making the difference and offering these students the chance of better careers.

“These students are all very talented. The dedicated staff of the school are doing a great job of preparing young people for a future in an industry that will provide many jobs in the future. I know that the school has gone from 90 students to 700 in four short years – it’s a tremendous achievement and a credit to the energy and vision of schools staff. Long may it continue to prosper”, he said.

About Oyu Tolgoi (www.ot.mn)

Oyu Tolgoi LLC is Mongolia’s largest copper and gold mining company and is a strategic partnership between the Government of Mongolia, Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto. Rio Tinto is the major shareholder in Ivanhoe Mines and the manager of the Oyu Tolgoi project. In addition to dividends from its stake in Oyu Tolgoi, the Government of Mongolia will receive taxes and royalties.

Oyu Tolgoi, located in the Gobi desert in southern Mongolia, will be one of the largest and highest-grade copper and gold mines in the world. It is the largest project ever developed in Mongolia, requiring a capital investment for phase 1 of more than US$6 billion.

Oyu Tolgoi is committed to contributing to a sustainable future for Mongolia. At least 9 out of 10 employees will be Mongolian once the mine is in production and Oyu Tolgoi is investing US$85 million dollars (110 billion tugriks) in training.

Oyu Tolgoi’s key priorities are the health and safety of employees, best-practice environmental management, contributing to sustainable communities and always doing business with integrity, for the benefit of all the project’s shareholders and the people of Mongolia.

For more information, connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.