New guidebook describes opportunities in B.C. mining and exploration

The B.C. Centre of Training Excellence in Mining (CTEM) has just published (August 2014) the first edition of the BC Career Pathways Guidebook: Mining Careers.

“The guidebook can be used to inform students and employees about the career pathways and training resources in the exploration and mining industries in B.C.,” said CTEM interim executive director Danielle Smyth.

A total of 47 B.C.-based educational institutions and organizations are listed in the guidebook.

CTEM has distributed a hard-copy version to secondary school career counselors, post-secondary institutions, industry associations and community groups throughout the province. Copies of the guidebook can be obtained by contacting [email protected].

“A digital copy of the guidebook will be available by the end of 2014,” said Smyth.

CTEM is a province-wide virtual hub that facilitates education and training for the mining and exploration industries.

“Our mission is to connect industry, students, communities and training providers to meet their respective needs,” said Smyth. “We do that by playing a leading role in collaborating with industry to identify skills requirements, facilitating training and supporting the various partners.”

CTEM has been paying careful attention to the company it keeps and has developed working relationships with many of the mining and exploration associations in the province, including the Mining Association of British Columbia, Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia, BC (Mining) HR Task Force, Mineral Industry Human Resources Council, MineralsEd and the B.C. Ministry of Energy and Mines.

CTEM was established by the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education (AVED) in 2012 and became operational in mid-2013.

“It was created because there wasn’t a one-stop shop for collecting and distributing career information on the mining and exploration industries in B.C.,” Smyth said. “CTEM acts as a bridge between industry, post-secondary educational and training institutions and individuals who are interested in a career in the sector.”

Smyth says CTEM is one of the first provincially based single collection points for information on training and education in mining and mineral exploration that the centre is aware of.

When CTEM was established as a virtual organization, AVED identified four partner institutions with physical campuses to take part in the development of the centre: Northwest Community College (NWCC; Smithers), British Columbia Institute of Technology (Burnaby), Northern Lights College (Fort St. John), and College of the Rockies (Cranbrook).

NWCC was selected to be the lead partner institution for CTEM. The college has opened its doors to provide a home for CTEM at its Smithers campus.

In addition to creating the guidebook, CTEM has developed the first sector-specific, web-searchable database for mining and exploration training and education programs. The database, which came about as the result of a partnership with the B.C. Council on Admissions and Transfer and BCcampus, can be found on the respective web sites of CTEM and Courses BC.

CTEM has also begun to establish a network of educators and industry representatives from the exploration and mining sector across the province to shape the goals of the centre and to facilitate project-specific initiatives, such as underground miner training in B.C.

CTEM was one of the organizers of the Educators, Miners and Explorers Workshop, which was held in Richmond in October 2014.

“The focus of the workshop (was) to showcase educational pilot projects that have been completed and to celebrate the achievements of educators and their industry partners in developing the future workforce,” said Smyth. “It (allowed) attendees to learn from the presenters and from other delegates about best practices in collaboration between industry and educators and apply it in other jurisdictions.”

An example of a successful pilot project is NWCC’s dual credit Environmental Monitoring Assistant Program (EMAP).

The Dual Credit EMAP program is a brand new program delivered by NWCC School of Exploration and Mining in partnership with B.C. School District 54.

The program draws on social and environmental best practices in exploration, mining, natural gas, forestry and other natural resource industries.  In addition to helping students complete their high school diplomas, the EMAP program teaches students about natural resource industries, the land, local history and culture, while they also learn employable skills.

Smyth said other future CTEM projects could include the development of a comprehensive on-line listing of all mining courses currently offered by B.C. post-secondary organizations; an outreach program to high-school career counselors, many of whom are unfamiliar with the mining and mineral exploration industries; and the preparation of the next edition of the careers guidebook.