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RAPAPORT... Exelco International launched their industry leading Botswana Employee Skills Transfer program (BEST) this week, sending the first of 60 trainees to Thailand, to be trained in diamond cutting ahead of the launch in Exelco's new cutting facility in Botswana.
Diamond Trading Company sightholder Exelco is due to open H&A Botswana in January 2008, in Gaborone. H&A Botswana will be the sister factory to H&A Thailand, which has lead the diamond cutting industry since its inception in 1999, achieving ultra high levels of Hearts & Arrows Ideal Cut Diamonds.
Exelco is unique in the structure of its BEST program, investing significantly in placing locals in their Thai facility. In rotations of 20 people, staff will spend more than 6 months each at the sister factory, developing their skills.
They will then be accompanied back to Botswana with their mentors from Thailand, to develop a similar facility in Gaborone. It is anticipated that during the next two years, more than 60 locals would participate in BEST.
In a gala dinner at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve on Friday evening, Lior Kunstler, managing partner of Exelco, welcomed the founding members of H&A Botswana, prior to their departure for Thailand on February 22, 2007. He noted in his welcome, “You travel with the hopes of the government, Debswana and of course Exelco & H&A. You will return, later this year, armed with the skills which will enable you to bring to Botswana what it truly deserves…, harnessing of the true value of the worlds most rare and beautiful product: The diamond."
Exelco’s excellent track record of staff welfare and social accountability will continue in the new factory in Botswana, with industry leading staff support facilities. These will include family healthcare and HIV support, teaching, and social and recreational facilities. Sam Mothibi, general manager of H&A Botswana said, “We are delighted to be offering our employees industry leading support, to develop what will undoubtedly result in the industry leading facility in Botswana. We look forward to working with our employees to bring this vision to life over the next year.”
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