OCTOBER 2009
Mining reality TV for career seekers is launched by Explore for More
MiHR's Explore for More Video Library aims to change perceptions about mining and engage career seekers by demonstrating the variety of rewarding occupations in the industry. The Video Library will help career seekers and the general public learn about employment in the sector by watching 14 diverse 
Canadian workers in action.
Workers from mining companies including Teck, Caracle Creek International Consulting, Cameco, Iron Ore Company of Canada, and IAMGold were filmed during their working day and give honest commentary and helpful pointers on why they chose their career and continue to thrive in the mining industry. The videos will allow career seekers to gain a deeper understanding of what a career in mining entails with insights into a typical day, team and working environment. These videos would not have been possible without industry support and we thank everyone who opened their doors to us for filming.
Those interested in learning more can access the videos on MiHR's careers website www.acareerinmining.ca/en/onlineresources or on You Tube www.youtube.com/exploreformore. To read more please click here.
Help RAMP-UP the status of Women in Mining
Women in Mining Canada (WIM) Canada, in partnership with MiHR and through the support of MAC, NRCan, PDAC, CIM, the Native Women's Association, Cameco, and Deloitte, seeks to provide government policy makers, academics and employers in the minerals and metals industry with a clearer picture of the current status of women in mining; from enrollment in postsecondary training institutions to employment and advancement within the industry.
Women make up only 13 per cent of the workforce in the mining and exploration industry, as compared to nearly half of the Canadian labour force. Women are a scarce resource in the minerals and metals sector and will be a significant source of talent for the future. What can be done to make our industry and workplaces more attractive to women?
RAMP-UP is the first study of its kind in Canada that will blend four unique perspectives: employers; current and past female workers; students in minerals- and metals-related post secondary education; and educators.
The study will answer key questions such as what are some of the challenges and barriers that women face in careers in exploration and mining.
Where do female post-secondary students in metals and minerals related education programs choose to work after graduation? What can be done to attract, retain and advance women in the sector?
RAMP-UP will provide a baseline for measuring improvements to the current status of women in the metals and minerals sector and reveal the barriers and inequities. With this knowledge, the industry will be better equipped to find solutions.
Part one of the study is a combination of employer and employee surveys and a review of relevant data from Statistics Canada and the industry. This phase of the RAMP-UP project will determine the representation of female employees in the minerals and metals sector and identify some of the systemic and apparent barriers that women face in entering and advancing in mining and exploration.
Part two focuses on educator and student surveys. The purpose of the second phase of the RAMP-UP project is to determine the representation of female students currently enrolled in post-secondary, minerals and metals related educational programs.
The RAMP-UP final report will outline the findings of these surveys and research to provide high level recommendations for increasing the recruitment and advancement of women in the mining and exploration sector. These findings will be presented at the PDAC International Trade Show & Investors Exchange to be held in Toronto in March 2010.
RAMP-UP requires additional sponsors in order to accomplish part two of this study. Benefits of sponsorship include access to the research, the final findings and report, customized data tables, your logo on WIM website, printed materials and acknowledgement at PDAC 2010.
Current financial contributors to the RAMP-UP study:
- Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR)
- Mining Association of Canada
- Natural Resources Canada
- Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC)
- Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (CIM)
- Deloitte
- Cameco Corporation
- To find out more about the study, participating in the research, or becoming a sponsor please email us or click here for a printable PDF with more information.
Two exciting new projects with the MiHR Council
We are pleased to announce two new projects underway this fall in the MiHR Council's Research for Industry Sustainability research program:
- Unearthing Possibilities: Human Resources Challenges and Opportunities in the Canadian Minerals Exploration Sector, (in partnership with The Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada and The Association of Mineral Exploration of British Columbia); and
- Making the Grade: Current and Projected Supply and Demand for Highly Qualified People in the Canadian Minerals and Metals Industry (in partnership with The Canadian Mining Innovation Council).
- These projects will enhance the labour market information available to minerals and metals stakeholders and pinpoint the short- and long-term HR challenges and opportunities in two vital sub-sectors of the industry. Findings will solidify stakeholders' ability to engage in proactive and strategic workforce planning and ultimately assist the industry in achieving its full economic potential, now and in the future.
As always, we deeply appreciate contributors ongoing participation and support. Your input is essential to the overall success of these and other important initiatives and we look forward to t
alking with you as these new projects unfold.
To read about these two projects in more detail please use the following links:
Mastering Aboriginal Inclusion in Mining is a modular series of programs designed to nurture and grow the competencies that help businesses become companies-of-choice for Aboriginal talent. The modules and training program (available through www.aboriginalhr.ca ) make a strong business case for Aboriginal inclusion and help employers move up the "Inclusion Continuum" — a model of how well a corporate workplace attracts, engages and advances Aboriginal inclusion. Developed jointly with the Aboriginal Human Resources Council, these initiatives educate and equip mining companies with the knowledge necessary to recruit, retain and advance more Aboriginal workers in the sector.
Book Your Mastering Aboriginal Inclusion in Mining Training Session:
MAI in Mining - Nov 26-27, 2009, Yellowknife - Click to register
MAI in Mining - Feb 23-24, 2010, Vancouver - Click to register
Join us at the MiHR Annual Forums
October 21, Vancouver - Click here to register
October 29, Saskatoon - Click here to register
