CANBERRA, Australia (PRWEB) June 30, 2019
The Paladin Group’s strategy of nationalising its workforce in Papua New Guinea has progressed with expatriate staff more than halved in two years, and local staff stepping into senior management and technical roles.
Paladin only uses expatriate staff for positions where local staff have not yet attained the required qualifications. However, as a result of its strong training program and internal promotion strategy, it is on track to significantly increase local staff in senior positions.
Paladin has been operating on Manus Island since 2013 where it is the longest serving contractor. More than 98 per cent of the Paladin Group’s staff in PNG are local nationals.
Consistent with the MOU signed by Paladin and local landowner group Peren in 2014, Paladin recently increased the shareholding of Peren in its joint venture entity Pomwan Paladin, so that it is now a fifty-fifty partnership.
Paladin CEO and Managing Director, David Saul commented “Paladin operates in some of the most complex and challenging environments in the world and we take pride in our staff’s professionalism and safety-first approach to delivering services.
“A key priority has been to train our local workforce to international safety and risk management standards and to promote them to senior roles within the organisation, and we are pleased by the progress we have made on this front. Paladin is about jobs and opportunities, and our partnership with Peren has ensured that our project has had a positive impact on the local community.
“We are acutely aware of the importance of building lasting and productive partnerships with customary local landowners in PNG and have, over many years, reinforced this commitment through our operating model.”
Kepo Pomat of Peren Investments commented “As a PNG company representing the local community here in Manus, we feel positive about Paladin’s nationalisation strategy which has resulted in more locals being hired, trained and promoted within the group.”
About Paladin Group
With over 4,500 staff and contractors working across the Asia-Pacific, the Paladin Group is a leading provider of security and support services for major projects in the region.
It has a values driven approach to providing tailored risk solutions in some of the most difficult operating environments in the world. It is an industry leader when it comes to its innovative community security model, a method of making communities engaged in project impact areas and reducing security issues by making safety and security a shared goal. Paladin’s number one priority at all times is the safety, security and wellbeing of our staff, the local community and those in our care.
About Peren Investments
Peren Investments is a Peren clan entity. Peren are the customary owners of the land in which the East Lorengau Refugee Transit Centre (ELRTC) is based and Peren staff have been providing camp and facilities services as a subcontractor at ELRTC since 2011. Following a change of service providers in 2013 Peren was subcontracted to provide these services by Paladin. In 2014 Peren established a joint venture with Paladin to establish Pomwan Paladin Security to deliver security services at ELRTC. From the outset, Paladin committed to transfer shares to Peren Investment as the project progressed and following a recent transfer of shares Peren, is now proud to be in a fifty-fifty partnership in Pomwan Paladin Security.
About Build Operate Transfer
The build-operate-transfer model is a core part of Paladin’s philosophy and involves partnering with local communities to build a project, operating the project in partnership and transferring skills and knowledge followed by transferring ownership to achieve enduring prosperity and positive legacies. For employment this means more national labour, for investment, this means leaving behind companies and skilled workforces that prosper long after the project is completed.
Read Paladin Director Ian Stewart's speech at PNG Security Congress speaking about the Build Operate Transfer approach.
