Angela Prevost has broken new ground by becoming the first female Aboriginal to graduate from the surface diamond driller assistant common core program at Northern College.
Over the past five years, more than 150 graduates have completed the intensive 10-week program.
More than 90 per cent of program graduates are hired within one month of attaining their diploma,.
The program was created in 2006 through a partnership between Cabo Drilling, the Canadian Diamond Driller Association and Northern College’s Haileybury School of Mines.
The program focuses on new personnel procedures in health and safety, current technologies and environmental concerns, catering to the growing demand for skilled workers in national and international markets.
Northern College joined forces with Atlas Copco in 2008, purchasing one of their drills for student use with additional help from FedNor and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund.
Foraco Canada, Cabo Drilling, Orbit Garant, Levert Drilling, Major Drilling, Boart Longyear and Canadian Driller Training have further augmented the program’s value by providing work placements and certified driller expert trainers.
In partnership with the Hamlet of Arviat, Northern College offers the program in Nunavut, and has graduated 30 Inuit students since 2011.
The next program begins Oct. 1, with two additional intakes planned for 2013.
