BUCHANAN, Grand Bassa County, July 21, 2026 — ArcelorMittal Liberia (AML) is concluding job-readiness assessments for 218 residents of its operational fenceline communities in Grand Bassa County.
The Learning Ability Battery assessments evaluate candidates in mathematics, English and physical fitness. The exercise, which is expected to conclude tomorrow, is being conducted in Frank Diggs Town, Compound Three and Buchanan City.
According to AML, the assessment is an entry point to the company’s specialised training programmes and general employment pool. It forms part of the company’s local-content strategy, which seeks to give qualified residents of communities affected by its mining and railway operations access to employment opportunities.
AML introduced the programme in 2024 to provide opportunities for community residents who may not possess the academic qualifications required under its conventional recruitment process.
Instead of relying solely on formal qualifications, the assessment seeks to identify applicants with the aptitude to succeed in industrial operations after receiving structured training.
Successful candidates will be placed in three categories—P1, P2 and P3—based on their performance. The classifications will determine their eligibility for semi-skilled and unskilled positions, including tally clerks, tarpaulin attendants and spotters.
High-performing candidates may also be selected for technical apprenticeship programmes at the ArcelorMittal Liberia Training Academy. The programmes prepare participants to work as process operators, articulated dump-truck operators and heavy-duty equipment operators.
AML said more than 300 residents of its Grand Bassa fenceline communities have gained formal employment through the initiative over the past two years. An additional 26 candidates were recently admitted to the company’s vocational apprenticeship programme.
AML Community Relations Superintendent Wroquah Samuels-Kamara said the initiative was designed to identify applicants’ potential and reduce barriers to employment.
“The LAB assessment is not about filtering people out; it is about discovering potential and creating paths where traditional barriers once stood,” Samuels-Kamara said.
“By meeting our communities where they are, we are ensuring that the economic and developmental benefits of our operations are felt directly at the grassroots level,” he added.
Samuels-Kamara said creating sustainable employment opportunities for residents of AML’s host and fenceline communities remains a major component of the company’s social investment programme.
“Through initiatives like the LAB assessment and our vocational training programmes, we are building a pipeline of skilled local talent while ensuring that community residents have a fair opportunity to participate in the company’s growth,” he said.
The assessments complement AML’s other workforce-development programmes, including technical training, apprenticeships and capacity-building initiatives for Liberians seeking careers in the mining industry.
