A Pathway to Possibility: Inside Covia’s Structured Training & Experience Program

At Covia, we recognize that our mining operations require a wide range of roles and technical skills. Understanding how it all works means seeing how teams across safety, production, quality, maintenance, supply chain, engineering, and other functions work together to keep the operation running efficiently, safely, and successfully.

Recognizing the value of cultivating well-rounded future leaders, Covia launched the Structured Training & Experience Program (STEP) in early 2026. The program gives recent graduates an opportunity to gain firsthand experience. The 18-month program combines hands-on operations experience with cross-functional exposure throughout Covia to help develop the next generation of plant supervisors, engineers, technical specialists, and other professionals who can support the company’s future.

According to Talent Acquisition Manager Adrianna Ateh, STEP is the natural expansion of Covia’s approach to early-career development. The company started by relaunching its internship program in 2023 to provide college students with meaningful work experience. As that program developed, Covia began looking at what could come next for employees beginning their careers after graduation.

“The idea was to create a pathway to opportunities for people who are just graduating from college,” Ateh explained. “This way we can develop internal talent for open positions across Covia and give that talent the opportunity to learn what they like and where they excel.”

Ateh and Coleman Rojahn, Talent Acquisition Associate, worked with hiring managers, company leaders, and people familiar with similar graduate programs to rethink what a program could look like at Covia. The result was STEP, with an initial cohort of three trainees:

“This year we decided to start with three people when we launched the program and see what works, and what doesn’t work,” Ateh said. “Then we hope to be able to grow it each year and make it better, just like the internship program.”

The objective behind STEP is straightforward: provide recent graduates with immersive, hands-on experience across the plant functions that keep Covia’s operations moving forward. To accomplish that, these graduates needed time to truly experience each aspect of a real mining organization.

Over 18 months, trainees progress through a structured series of phases that expose them to both plant operations and the teams that support them. These phases include: 

This structure gives each trainee an opportunity to spend meaningful time with a wide range of functions. Instead of asking someone at the beginning of their career to immediately choose a narrow path, STEP provides opportunities to understand how different functions operate and how they connect. Trainees work with different people and departments throughout the program, gaining technical experience while developing a broader understanding of Covia.

The result is a program designed to be mutually beneficial for Covia and the trainees. Immersive, hands-on experience across core functions helps Covia develop talent across plant operations, while also exposing trainees to different roles so they gain firsthand knowledge of that helps them discover where they can excel and the types of work they enjoy.

STEP is designed to help trainees develop technical knowledge, but that’s just one goal for the program. Covia has also made relationship-building an intentional part of the experience.

Bringing STEP participants together gives them peers who are navigating a similar experience, while their rotations allow them to develop relationships with employees across disciplines and locations.

“We want them to enjoy the experience and feel that they really are a part of the community,” Ateh said.

With trainees working at different locations and moving through numerous functions, it is important to build a sense of camaraderie despite the distance. The inaugural trainees recently attended a safety boot camp together and regularly participate in monthly meetings as a group to share their experience and identify other areas they may want to explore.

Those connections are already extending beyond scheduled meetings. According to Ateh, the trainees actively connect with each other between meetings. For example, Gavin recently reached out to Favour to learn more about drone applications at the plant level. Favour, who recently earned her drone certification to support operations at the Roff Plant, was able to share her experiences and insights as she begins using the technology in her role. Despite the distance between plants, trainees can create bonds that last.

For Covia, STEP is an investment in long-term talent development. For trainees, the program provides a broader view of Covia’s operations and where technical knowledge and leadership are paramount. 

Discovering those best fits takes time, which is why the program emphasizes experience rather than simply training for a particular position. The current cohort is scheduled to complete their program in June 2027, at which point they’ll each have gained experience that prepares them to be part of the next generation of Covia talent across operations.

For Gavin, Nolan, and Favour, the next several months will continue to expose them to new teams, responsibilities, and experiences. Where those experiences ultimately lead will be different for each of them. And while the current group continues to learn, Covia is actively recruiting for the next cohort, continuing the cycle of professional development that will help shape Covia for years to come.