Post by IAMCAPER on Aug 29, 2005 10:58:05 GMT -4
A study of Canada’s mining sector has found a looming shortage of skilled workers.
According to the Prospecting the Future- Meeting Human Resources Challenges in the Canadian Minerals and Metals Industry study, the industry will need up to 81,000 new people to meet current and future needs and to fill positions vacated by retirees.
Steve Farrell, whose group, Donkin Resources Ltd., is bidding to open the mothballed Donkin mine, said Wednesday a good cross section of the tradespeople who worked at Devco would be available in a new mine operation.
“A Donkin mine would need a couple of hundred miners, and only a percentage of them would need to have experience while the rest would learn their trade on the job.”
The research was done by the Mining Industry Training and Adjustment Council - Canada, based in Ottawa, and evaluated short- and long-term human resource issues and challenges facing the mining industry.
Canada, a leading exporter of minerals, metals and diamonds, has seen mining gross domestic product grow at about twice the rate of the Canadian economy, a trend that is expected to continue for several more years.
Paul Hebert, the MITAC executive director, said there are great career opportunities, particularly for skilled-trade workers, engineers and geoscientists.
He noted mining has evolved to become a highly skilled and technical industry.
Union leader Victor Tomiczek said you pretty well have to work in a mine to get the necessary training.
“If there is no mine there is no training,” said Tomiczek, a CAW national representative.
He agreed there is a real shortage of tradespeople in industry in general.
Tomiczek said one of the selling points in opening a Donkin mine is having a very skilled workforce immediately available.
“But having said that, it’s a skilled workforce that will only be there no more than 10 years, the time needed for younger people to learn those new skills.”
He wanted to see some guarantee that when someone works underground, they have to develop and learn the skills to ensure they can mine coal safely.
Fenton Isenor, president of the Mining Society of Nova Scotia, said it is the highest paying sector in Canada and efforts should be made now to provide training opportunities to fill those jobs in the future.
In addition to a high percentage of workers who are due to retire in the next decade, the study noted fewer young people are choosing mining careers.
Among the other findings, the study revealed the need for standardized training and that a trade certification for mining is not available in Canada.
Implementing a Red Seal trades status would encourage national training standards and provide mobility and flexibility for workers.
Hebert said a strategy is needed to help facilitate recruitment and raise awareness to mitigate the skills gap threat.
“Proactive human resource practices such as ongoing training and workforce planning and mentoring programs will encourage retention into this vital industry,” Hebert said.
The study concentrated on the top 10 minerals and metals by value of production, including: gold, nickel, potash, coal, copper, iron ore, cement, zinc, sand, gravel, stone and diamonds.
According to the Prospecting the Future- Meeting Human Resources Challenges in the Canadian Minerals and Metals Industry study, the industry will need up to 81,000 new people to meet current and future needs and to fill positions vacated by retirees.
Steve Farrell, whose group, Donkin Resources Ltd., is bidding to open the mothballed Donkin mine, said Wednesday a good cross section of the tradespeople who worked at Devco would be available in a new mine operation.
“A Donkin mine would need a couple of hundred miners, and only a percentage of them would need to have experience while the rest would learn their trade on the job.”
The research was done by the Mining Industry Training and Adjustment Council - Canada, based in Ottawa, and evaluated short- and long-term human resource issues and challenges facing the mining industry.
Canada, a leading exporter of minerals, metals and diamonds, has seen mining gross domestic product grow at about twice the rate of the Canadian economy, a trend that is expected to continue for several more years.
Paul Hebert, the MITAC executive director, said there are great career opportunities, particularly for skilled-trade workers, engineers and geoscientists.
He noted mining has evolved to become a highly skilled and technical industry.
Union leader Victor Tomiczek said you pretty well have to work in a mine to get the necessary training.
“If there is no mine there is no training,” said Tomiczek, a CAW national representative.
He agreed there is a real shortage of tradespeople in industry in general.
Tomiczek said one of the selling points in opening a Donkin mine is having a very skilled workforce immediately available.
“But having said that, it’s a skilled workforce that will only be there no more than 10 years, the time needed for younger people to learn those new skills.”
He wanted to see some guarantee that when someone works underground, they have to develop and learn the skills to ensure they can mine coal safely.
Fenton Isenor, president of the Mining Society of Nova Scotia, said it is the highest paying sector in Canada and efforts should be made now to provide training opportunities to fill those jobs in the future.
In addition to a high percentage of workers who are due to retire in the next decade, the study noted fewer young people are choosing mining careers.
Among the other findings, the study revealed the need for standardized training and that a trade certification for mining is not available in Canada.
Implementing a Red Seal trades status would encourage national training standards and provide mobility and flexibility for workers.
Hebert said a strategy is needed to help facilitate recruitment and raise awareness to mitigate the skills gap threat.
“Proactive human resource practices such as ongoing training and workforce planning and mentoring programs will encourage retention into this vital industry,” Hebert said.
The study concentrated on the top 10 minerals and metals by value of production, including: gold, nickel, potash, coal, copper, iron ore, cement, zinc, sand, gravel, stone and diamonds.