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As it looks to recruit at least 300 full-time workers in Canada this year, Brazilian miner Vale has launched a national advertising campaign to raise awareness about employment opportunities at the company.
“It's very unique and eye-catching,” Danica Pagnutti, a Vale spokesperson, said. “We've had a lot of really positive feedback from it.”
The ads have been run in magazines and posted in airports in places such as Thunder Bay, Dryden, Regina and Edmonton.
They feature slogans such as “Less de-icing. More ice fishing,” “Less flying. More sledding,” “Less long haul. More snowball,” and “Less road. More trail.”
They seem to be working. Over the last three months, Vale has seen a 50-per-cent increase in job applications, Pagnutti said.
Like many companies across Canada, Vale is facing a shortage of skilled trades workers, she said.
The company is looking to hire 130 people for its Thompson, Manitoba operations alone.
Pagnutti said she's not sure how many workers are needed in Sudbury; however, the company posted job ads for 60 miners in Sudbury, and received 800 applications.
There will also be a lot of positions opening up in the near future at contracting companies hired by Vale to develop its $2-billion emissions reduction project in Sudbury.
Although the advertising campaign has had good results, Pagnutti said it's not the only way the company is attempting to attract new employees.
Vale is reaching out to high school and post-secondary students through sponsoring events such as the Canadian Mining Games, which are taking place at Sudbury's Laurentian University in February, and supporting initiatives such as Sudbury Mining Week, an annual event promoting the mining industry which takes place in the city each spring, she said.
