Three communities hit hard by the downturn in the forest industry were given a break when a partnership was formed to train new employees for a mine.
Northern College began offering the basic underground hard rock miner common core program in Dubreuilville in partnership with Richmont Mines' Island Gold Mine near the community. The program was also open to those in White River and Wawa.
“When we first started, Richmont, because of its location, had an issue with turnover. It was located in an area that was forestry based and Dubreuilville was a potential labour force but no one had any mining experience,” said Norm Bolduc, training consultant with Northern College.
MPP Michael Mantha (Algoma-Manitoulin – NDP), prior to entering politics, was the first director of the Dubreuilville Action Centre and he made the initial contact with Northern College to see if it could provide training for the unemployed forestry workers.
“A lot of their (forestry workers') skills were transferable,” he said.
“In discussions with Richmont, we looked at their high level of turnover and the cost associated with that. I said why not look at what you have here? Their workers came from out of town and out of province and if you look at what we have here, the people have roots, homes and lifestyle.”
The common core training was offered over 12 weeks and was designed to offer as much hands on experience as possible. It also followed a typical mine work schedule so students were required to put in 10-hour days.
“We were doing training for mining so we would treat it as a training camp,” Bolduc said. “We wanted them to be productive members of the workforce so we matched the hours they would spend underground.”
They were taught to muck out the round, do scaling and ground support and set the face for drilling.
“There is lots of hands on experience with a huge focus on health and safety,” he said. “We want them to make sure they are always conscious of their environment.”
So far, 10 training programs have been held and plans are under way for the next one to begin. Only six students per program are allowed in.
The first 10 weeks are with an instructor and during the remaining 10 days they join an actual work crew at Island Gold Mine underground.
“That by itself is a real learning experience because they are with the people who do this day in and out and they are seeing other places in the mine and various techniques,” Bolduc said.
“It also provides the mine with an opportunity to get some feedback from their employees about potential employees as well.”
For Richmont Mines, the partnership with Northern College proved very beneficial. Training and hiring individuals from the nearby communities has resulted in the mine having less turnover and an underground workforce that is 90 per cent local.
“It was a proactive move on our part in the face of the predicted labour shortage in the mining industry and has proven to be a huge success,” said Sylvie Belisle, human resources manager at Island Gold Mine.
“It's a win-win situation for the participants, the local community and for Richmont Mines. It allows the mine to be a good corporate citizen and economically enhances the local communities by training and hiring the local individuals who were dealing with the downturn of the lumber industry.”
The mine currently has a total workforce of about 165.
Eric Casey of Dubreuilville was unemployed when he took the common core program about three years ago. Currently, he is working at Island Gold Mine.
“My goal was to stay in the area and the mine was the only place hiring,” he said. “It was a good choice for me because the wages and benefits are good, the company is great to work for and I get to stay here. It was a good fit and a good choice for me,” he said.
Russell Reid, the executive director of the Regional Employment Help Centre in Wawa, said the program has had a major impact on the three communities.
“Individuals are able to stay here and it keeps families together. A lot of people have been employed out of town and that is hard on families. It hasn't replaced, by any means, all the jobs that have been lost but it is positive and putting a good economic impact back on the communities,” he said.
Most of the students have opted to stay and work at Island Gold Mine while others have chosen jobs elsewhere.
A similar partnership program is being offered with Northern College and Golcorp in Timmins.
“We can't deliver these programs without having partnerships with the mines,” Bolduc said. “It has to be delivered in an underground environment and 90 per cent of it is hands on.”
