Mining for Talent: Industry pilot awards national certification to Canadian mining workers
Written by Lindsay Forcellini
In
an effort to support mobility and retention within this sector, such
talents will now be officially documented and recognized through a
newly started mining-credentials program.
Employees from seven different mine sites across Canada are the first
group of mining workers to receive national certification through the
Canadian Mining Credentials Program. A collaborative effort by mining
employers, employees, educators and other stakeholders spearheaded by
the Mining Industry Human Resources Council
(MiHR), the program is the cornerstone of the mining industry’s efforts
to recognize the skills, knowledge and experience of its workforce.
The group represents a selection of Canada’s first underground miners,
surface miners and minerals processing operators to achieve nationally
recognized certification. This is an historic event in Canadian mining
because, until now, unlike the trades, skilled workers in these
occupations have never before been awarded an industry-recognized
credential that supports mobility and retention within the mining
workforce.
The certification program was founded on a set of industry-developed
National Occupational Standards, which have been developed for three
key mining occupational areas: underground miner; surface miner and
minerals processing operator; and diamond driller. A needs assessment
will be conducted in the future to determine the requirements for new
National Occupational Standards. MiHR is hoping to test certification
for diamond drillers in late 2011.
The first of its kind for this country’s mining industry, the
certification program requires workplace demonstration of employees’
skills and provides these workers with portable credentials based on
their experience and competency levels.
“For decades, mining has played catch up to a number of competing
industries that have clearly defined career paths and skill sets and
competencies that are recognized and valued,” explains Ryan
Montpellier, executive director of the MiHR Council. “Mining workers
are highly skilled, working with multi-million dollar equipment and
operating in a complex environment, yet their skills and competencies
have gone, for the most part, unrecognized, and certification is going
to change that.”
The certification pilot program began in 2010 at seven mine sites
across Canada with the identification and training of workplace
assessors, the creation of assessment tools and the testing and
evaluation of the program. More than 100 workers were certified in this
pilot at the following locations:
• Cementation Canada Inc: Totten Mine in Sudbury, Ont., and Trout Lake Mine in Flin Flon, Man.
• Rio Tinto: Diavik Diamond Mine in Yellowknife
• Teck Coal: Greenhills Operation in Smithers, B.C.
• Northgate Minerals Corp.: Kemess South Mine in Toodoggone, B.C.
• Teck Resources: Highland Valley Copper in Logan Lake, B.C.
• Xstrata Zinc: Brunswick Mine in Bathurst, N.B.
According to the pilot program’s participants, certification is something both employers and workers have been waiting for.
“Unlike a tradesperson that goes through an apprenticeship to gain
their qualifications nationally or provincially, equipment operators
have to endure the same training over and over every time they start
with a new company. For some, this can be frustrating because they have
done the same job for many years,” explains Jerrold Jewsbury, safety
coordinator for Kemess Mine.
“Through the MiHR certification process, the equipment operators have a
similar opportunity as the trades to carry a [nationally recognized
credential] in their profession, giving them the recognition that they
have earned and deserve for the past many years in the industry,” he
adds. “By working together with MiHR, we are bringing a sense of pride
and accomplishment back into the workforce.”
Jewsbury, also the site’s workplace assessor in the pilot program, says
certification will have a positive impact on Kemess employees as they
begin transitioning to new jobs when the mine, which has been operating
for 14 years, stops production and closes in mid-2011.
Rick Gibson, superintendent of mill operations at Teck Highland Valley
Copper, agrees that certification will benefit both workers and
companies, as it provides employers confidence when hiring new
employees that they have demonstrated skills to a nationwide competency
standard. “As well, certified workers have portable credentials that
will improve their employability at mines across the country,” he says.
MiHR’s latest research estimates that between now and 2020 the mining
industry will require approximately 100,000 workers to support growth
in the industry and replace retiring workers. Approximately 20 percent
of these new hires will be required in skilled occupations that have,
until now, lacked a national recognition system, including production
miners, development miners, heavy equipment operators and mill
operators.
The certification program will be an essential component in increasing
and retaining the valuable skills required to keep the mining industry
sustainable. Without a formal credentialing framework for these jobs,
employers may struggle to evaluate the qualifications of experienced
candidates and may end up wasting time and resources retraining new
hires in areas where they have already demonstrated competency in the
workplace. Furthermore, employees with skills sets that are not
recognized by their industry can become frustrated and may seek
opportunities elsewhere. A recent MiHR survey of mining industry
employers revealed that turnover in these occupations is almost twice
as high as other mining sector jobs.
“Certification is a means of recognizing that the worker has met the
National Occupational Standards for the industry, as designed and
validated by mining employers across Canada. It is very important to
industry that workers can now be measured using the same standard,
allowing us to quickly identify training needs and hire workers with
proven experience,” explains Denis Beaudoin, corporate director of
health and safety at Cementation Canada Inc.
Local recognition ceremonies took place between February and April 2011
for each of the pilot sites to celebrate the achievements of program
participants and to award certificates. All certified workers received
a certificate, wallet card, lapel pin and a skills passport documenting
their skills and competencies. These local events fostered a sense of
accomplishment and mounting excitement about the opportunities
certification will create for workers.
“The common denominator was the look of pride and strong sense of
recognition on the part of each recipient, as well as the employer. At
several events, children of the certificate recipients expressed
newfound respect for their parents’ work,” explains Barbara Kirby,
MiHR’s senior director of workforce development, who is leading the
development of the program and attended each of the recognition events.
“It was very moving and touching to be a part of each of these
recognition events.
“The certification program sends a clear message to Canadians that if
you work in mining you will have a recognized and valued career — not
just a job.”
MiHR’s current plan is to begin a pan-Canadian rollout of the program in the fall of 2011.
In
an effort to support mobility and retention within this sector, such
talents will now be officially documented and recognized through a
newly started mining-credentials program.
