First graduates emerge from Stargems
Staff Writer | Monday May 22, 2023 06:00
Stargems has a strong global presence in the rough diamond, polishing, and jewellery market, with offices in Antwerp, Mumbai, Dubai, and Hong Kong. Its diamond manufacturing factories are located in Johannesburg and Angola, and the Gaborone facility became operational last December.
At its official launch in February, the company had already employed 117 Batswana, with plans to employ up to 250 by the end of the year, partly through recruiting the top students from its training programme. The Stargems Diamond Training Centre provides trainees with knowledge and skills in various areas of diamond manufacturing, including rough diamond sorting, quality grading, and polishing.
In a statement this week, officials said having completed the training, the first batch of students was now industry-ready. The second batch of 72 trainees is currently undergoing training and is set to graduate soon.
“The training centre’s establishment is part of our commitment to community empowerment, one of our key Corporate Social Responsibility principles,” said Sandeep Kolambekar, Stargems Global Head of Manufacturing. “We believe that businesses can only thrive when their communities are well taken care of. “With all the necessary resources available at the centre, trainees can easily understand and master the industry's complexities while gaining exposure to the diamond industry's history, trends, and opportunities.”
Trainees who have completed the course shared their experiences, including Keorapetse Legajang, who emphasised how the training changed her life and made her industry-ready. Gorata Molatlhegi also shared how the institution provided opportunities to explore new career paths. The training centre provides an opportunity for young people to gain valuable skills and contribute to the diamond industry's growth and development without paying any tuition fees.
In offering the free training, Stargems has partnered with South Africa’s Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Training School.
In its main business, Stargems Botswana plans to process between two and three thousand carats per month using state-of-the-art technology. The company sources its rough diamonds from De Beers and state diamond trader, the Okavango Diamond Company.
Its initial investment in Botswana involved $4 million for machines and another P12 million for the building and plant. The company plans to ramp up its employment to 350 workers by the end of next year.
“We don’t have a manufacturing presence in India or anywhere else except in Africa because we want the manufacturing to be done in the countries where diamonds are produced,” Kolambekar told BusinessWeek previously. “We believe in developing skills in the country and localisation, as well as transferring technology in our producer countries.