Seven employees of Inhulets Iron Ore and Central Iron Ore were recognised as winners in the category "Best Mentor to Youth" at the annual public competition among employers, entrepreneurs, educational and vocational training institutions of Kryvyi Rih.
The city recognised the contributions of mentors from Metinvest's enterprises to the dual education project, which trains young people at the enterprises through a dual education system. This system prepares future concentrating and pelletising operators, mechanics, and professionals in various repair fields, among others.
Experienced professionals with the necessary qualifications and the ability to teach and share their expertise are chosen to mentor young people. Among them are employees of Inhulets Iron Ore: excavator driver Oleksandr Fedin, driver-instructor of locomotive crews Ihor Yakovliev, and masters of the on-the-job training Ruslan Seferbekov and Davyd Lomtadze. Each of them has years of mentoring experience and a legacy of grateful students.
"Many young people have gone through my teaching. I have been training electric locomotive drivers at Inhulets Iron Ore for more than ten years," says Ihor YAKOVLIEV, instructor of locomotive crews. "I currently mentor two people, and before that, I had four. A mentor is for life because the knowledge we pass on to young people stays with them forever and helps them on their professional path. And the greatest reward for me is the successful work of my students. I keep track of how my students' professional lives turn out. Of course, I am proud of the best of my students. There are too many to list. For instance, Andrii Kurylovych and Valerii Beschmelnytskyi are excellent drivers. Andrii has become an instructor himself."
The competition also recognised the successful mentoring work of Central Iron Ore employees: Viktor Kovalenko, head of the section of warehouses for storage and issue of materials, fuels and lubricants, Oleksii Fedirka, head of the mechanical repair section of the service shop. The latter has been working at Central Iron Ore for over 35 years, has been training young professionals for many years, and has helped unlock the potential of many talented young people.
"I am grateful for the award. It's nice to be recognised, although I unfortunately could not attend the gala event due to sick leave," says Oleksii Mykolayovych. When asked about the value of his work, he reflects on his first mentor at the beneficiation plant. "I remember his lessons well. He had a unique way of teaching us young people. He always encouraged us to think for ourselves. He never gave us ready-made answers or solutions. Instead, he encouraged us to challenge ourselves and come up with our own solutions to problems. It was then that I realised: even the most brilliant theoretical knowledge doesn't equip a young employee to tackle real production challenges effectively. Textbooks don't provide ready-made answers for properly operating equipment, handling emergencies, or repairing machinery. As a mentor, I need to pass on practical skills and the entire system of production knowledge to young people. The ideal outcome of my teaching is when my student figures out where they want to develop further, maps out their future, and identifies the steps they need to take to achieve success. Today's young people often lack direction, so my job is to guide them and set a clear path so that once they've gained foundational skills and knowledge, they will be able to make thoughtful and informed choices."
The city also recognised the contribution of Svitlana Marinova and Daryna Zaitseva, chief specialists of the recruitment, training and development department of the Consolidated Iron Ore, to the development of the professional training and development system.
Currently, 1,122 classroom and on-the-job mentors work at Metinvest's Consolidated Iron Ore. Thanks to their efforts, nearly 4,000 students over the past two years have upgraded their professional qualifications, passed their exams, and either earned promotions or received categories.
