Implats Graduate Internships and Trade Learnerships

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats) recruits young people into its operations through three separate pathways: a bursary scheme for students, a graduate internship programme for people who have already finished a degree or diploma, and trade learnerships for local youth with an N2 certificate. This page covers the last two. Implats describes all three on its Young Talent page as parts of one internal leadership pipeline, and many of its graduate interns come from its own bursary holders. The study bursary itself, with its work-back obligation, is covered on the site’s Implats bursary page.

The graduate internship programme at the operations

Implats calls its graduate programme a launchpad for future leaders in mining and engineering. Each year it takes graduates into structured training specific to their discipline at its operations, where they work in the plant or on the mine with a mentor and follow a leadership development track. Implats says it gives priority to graduates from its local communities and supports interns with financial education, life skills and career path planning. It does not publish the stipend, the length of the internship or the number of places.

The most recent intake Implats published is a flyer headed “RTB Graduate Internships”, linked from the Young Talent page. It lists these fields:

• Mining Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Chemical Engineering
• Extractive Metallurgy, Geology and Survey
• BCom Accounting and Human Resources
• Teaching and Nursing

The Young Talent page gives a shorter technical list for the same programme: mining, metallurgy, chemical, mechanical and electrical (heavy current), plus chemistry and geology to honours level. For mechanical and electrical graduates it adds that candidates must comply with the requirements of the Department of Minerals and Petroleum Resources (DMPR).

Three conditions every graduate applicant must meet

Both the flyer and the self-check quiz on the Implats site set the same three conditions. The applicant holds a degree, a technical degree or a National Diploma; is unemployed; and has never taken part in a graduate internship before. Anyone who has already completed an internship elsewhere is screened out by the quiz.

The flyer asks for four documents with the application form:

1. academic results or certified proof of qualifications;
2. a certified copy of the applicant’s ID;
3. a residential letter from a traditional leader, the local ward councillor or an RBN councillor;
4. a CV with contact details.

The residential letter is how Implats checks that an applicant comes from the communities around its operations. Application forms were available from the HRD office or the Implats website, and that round closed on 30 November 2025. Implats has not published a closing date for a later graduate intake. Questions go to the Bursary Department on 014 569 0359 or 014 569 0139, or by email to graduatesrecruitment@implats.co.za.

Six trade learnerships from an N2 certificate

The Implats learnership programme mixes classroom instruction with practical work on site in engineering, metallurgy and underground operations. Implats says the learnerships lead to recognised qualifications through both artisan and non-artisan training and are tailored for youth from its local communities. The trades currently listed are:

Implats adds that further requirements may apply depending on the discipline, without listing them. Some learnership places are filled internally from existing employees. External places are communicated through community structures around the operations rather than through a national advert, so a young person from outside those communities has little chance of seeing one. The learnership information sheet linked from the Young Talent page returned “File not found” when checked, and Implats publishes no learner allowance, duration or intake date.

Where Implats posts programme openings

Implats advertises graduate, internship and learnership openings through its careers channels, and its own FAQ tells students to watch the Implats careers portal for postings titled “Engineering Learner”, “Graduate Intern” or similar. Each advert carries its own instructions. On 29 September 2026 the portal’s front page showed only experienced posts such as engineers, supervisors and a mine overseer, with no graduate or learner advert among them.

According to the Implats talent acquisition page, HR reviews each application and contacts shortlisted candidates. Depending on the programme, the next step can be an interview, a technical test, a psychometric assessment or a medical fitness evaluation. Implats does not send rejection letters: if a candidate has not heard back within the period stated in the notice, the application should be taken as unsuccessful. Its company profile is on the site’s Implats provider page, and artisan study funding elsewhere is gathered on the artisan bursaries page.

FAQs