First certified minen workers

The Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) recently announced that 95 people have just received national certification through its Canadian Mining Credentials Program (CMCP).

The Program, six years in development, is based on industry-defined standards including National Occupational Standards developed for four key mining occupations. These include Underground Hard Rock Miner, Surface Miner, Minerals Processing Operator, and Diamond Driller.

During the Program’s pilot, the progress of participants was tracked by an appointed workplace assessor and documented using a skill passport. The passport not only verifies the skills of an individual for the benefit of current and future employers, but also enables workers to plan their career development.

Certification will play an important role in increasing and retaining the skills needed to sustain the mining industry.

MiHR’s research estimates that between now and 2020, the mining industry in Canada will require approximately 100,000 workers to support growth and replace retirees.

The CMCP certification program was piloted at seven mine sites across Canada in 2010. They were: Xstrata Zinc’s Brunswick mine in Bathurst, New Brunswick; Cementation, at Totten Mine in Sudbury and Trout Lake Mine in Manitoba; Rio Tinto, Diavik Diamond Mines in Northwest Territories; Teck Coal’s Greenhills Operation in British Columbia; Northgate Minerals at Kemess South Mines, British Columbia; and Teck Resources, Highland Valley Copper, British Columbia.