More than 1,000 workers have achieved national certification through the Canadian Mining Certification Program (CMCP), according to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR).
Occupations covered by the program include underground miner, surface miner, minerals processing operator and diamond driller.
“This milestone is representative of our industry’s growing commitment to a highly skilled and consistently trained workforce and a shift toward a national, collaborative approach to skills and competencies that spans provincial borders,” Ryan Montpellier, MiHR’s executive director, said in a press release.
In 2016, the program will expand to include front-line supervisor, industry trainer and hoist operator, and will be funded with $1.2 million from Employment and Social Development Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program.
Established in 2011, the certification program was designed to strengthen the competitiveness of Canada’s mining industry and positively impact the attraction, retention and training efforts of participating companies.
Previous to its launch, the lack of recognition system led to high turnover rates, inconsistent training and an inefficient labour market, according to the release.
MiHR is the council for the Canadian minerals and metals industry.
