Irina Costa was one of the women who attended and completed the internship. Regarding this new stage, she said she was proud to be part of the "first group of women driving heavy machinery".
Quoted by Jornal de Angola, the intern said that it is "a challenge that adds responsibility and arouses some curiosity because men are used to holding a monopoly over the job".
It is "a source of pride to be part of the first group of women driving machinery", she added.
According to Emídio Sacomboio, Alliances and Partnerships technician, this is the first time that women, in this case four, have been qualified to operate heavy machinery in the mine.
This qualification, he added, is the result of completing the internship that was provided by the academy.
Despite being a field generally dominated by men, the technician expressed satisfaction with the performance of the new mining machine operators, who are part of a group of 71 students from various educational establishments in the country who had the opportunity to do an internship at Catoca, due to signed agreements.
According to Emído Sacomboio, this change in the company's vision is unprecedented in the mine's approximately thirty years of history, while also highlighting the need to promote inclusive environments and combat stereotypes.
Henrique Muxito, head of the operational training section, said it was important to maintain the initiative, as well as to rescue the skills of women who remain anonymous due to the restriction of opportunities, writes Jornal de Angola.
It should be noted that, among the internship activities, there was the mandatory driving of excavators and trucks used to transport gravel.
