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Mining staffing up as markets recover

As the fortunes of the mining industry begin to recover, so too are drilling firms with demand out pacing supply.
driller needed
Interest in Northern College's drilling-related programs has risen to a fever pitch as industry seeks more staff. (Photo supplied)

 
As the fortunes of the mining industry begin to recover, so too are drilling firms with demand out pacing supply.

With high gold prices turning once-marginal projects into potential profit and investor confidence returning to the markets, more exploration and mining firms are putting drills in the ground, according to Shawn Acton, contract manager with Cabo Drilling.

"The drilling industry is following the stock market recovery and definitely we're happy with the level of activity and inquiries for future work," says Acton.

Cabo's business is beginning to return to levels experienced in 2008, with 22 of its 48 drills now turning worldwide, from Nunavut to MacFauld's Lake, with growing numbers of requests for tender starting to roll in.

The company is already fielding inquiries from a potential client seeking to price out work for a job in Greenland for more than a year in advance, something Acton says to be a sign of economic confidence.

As such, tradesman are at a premium, though Acton says the company is always on the lookout for experienced drillers. He is delighted to hear of a fifth run of Northern College's surface diamond driller assistant common core program, set for April 26 to June 30.

The move to open another class of 12 was all but necessary, says Rose-Lyne D'Aoust-Messier, training consultant with Northern College. Drilling firms have been calling "left, right and center" looking for graduates to hire, with some looking to snap up as many as 30 people at once.

With this kind of frenzy and strong interest from prospective students, Messier says the government should begin to apply funding for Second Career and other related programs towards such needed fields as driller training.

"We're getting lots of interest and it's only going to get better as mines start investing more into exploration," says Messier. "In 20 years from now, we won't have new mines opening up because we won't have had the personnel to do the work. We have lots of people calling, but it's not everyone that has $15,000 in their back pocket for this kind of training."

Robert L'Heureux, environmental health and safety manager and training coordinator for surface coring at Boart Longyear's Drilling Services division agrees.

Without being able to fund enough students for consecutive courses, many of the trainers who work in the industry will be disinclined to return to teach. What's more, the projected need for new staff will be so severe that L'Heureux anticipates drilling companies across the province will be struggling to fill their needs before long.

As with other drilling firms, Boart Longyear's fortunes slipped somewhat last year, though much of it is "coming back very fast.”

Indeed, Boart will likely hire and train 150 new drilling staff in the coming year, says L'Heureux. The varying elevations and sometimes harsh conditions can prove too taxing for many. As a result, this can sometimes mean hiring 100 people just to retain 20.

Still, a career in the drilling industry is one well worth pursuing says L'Heureux, who has nearly 20 years of experience. Having toured the world on the job and recently returning from Africa, he says the lifestyle is supremely rewarding for those willing to take the plunge.

"You get paid to see the country and the world. You get paid to see the bald eagle and the arctic fox and learn more about other cultures, and that's part of the reason I've stayed in the industry myself. It's not a job, it's a career."


www.boartlongyear.com
www.cabo.ca
www.northernc.on.ca