2012 Annual Report
13
The following are some examples of how our ‘build,
share, protect’ approach came to fruition in 2012.
Strengthening eduction on Isabel
Axiom has become the major financial sponsor of the
Senior Secondary School in Buala, Solomon Islands.
The school was developed as a joint initiative by the
Church, Provincial Government and the Isabel House
of Chiefs and is designed to further the education of the
local Isabel community’s eager young students. Some
of these students may eventually be employed to work
on, or manage Isabel’s biggest ever development and
Axiom’s flagship project – The Isabel Nickel Deposit.
Developing and training the local workforce
In addition to deploying our Australian technical
personnel to lead the exploration programs on the
Arosi and Itina projects, we have recruited a number
of local geologists to work in our teams. We have also
employed new local staff members to work in our
Honiara office.
In conjunction with the Ministry of Mines, Energy
and Rural Electrification, we offered internships
to six geology students from the University of the
South Pacific (USP) and the University of Papua
New Guinea (UPNG).
The internships involved a week-long induction
program in our Honiara office, which was then followed
by on-site experience at the Arosi Project in Makira.
We also flew our senior Solomon Islands geologists to
Brisbane for our annual week-long conference. Here,
they were involved in training sessions that focused
on the latest exploration technology.
Sourcing supplies locally
We buy our supplies locally whenever and wherever
possible. We know that this goes a long way in helping
to bolster the local economy. In return, the business
owners have gone, and continue to go out of their
way to support and protect our interests. In some
cases we have helped to develop cottage industries
to supply Axiom. The benefits of this are mutual
– it is greatly appreciated by the local community
and it also ensures that we have ongoing supply
of resources at competitive prices.
Community activities in the Solomon Islands