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Helping youth discover their place in mining
Younger workers aged 15 to 24 only represent an average of four per cent of workers, according to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council’s (MiHR) Mining Year in Review: National Outlook 2021 report.
Canada’s mining industry is once again facing skills shortages stemming from several issues, including high levels of retirement, industry growth, skills gaps, and a lack of interest in mining-related careers among youth.
According to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council’s (MiHR) Mining Year in Review: National Outlook 2021 report, primeage and older workers aged 25 to 55+ collectively represented roughly three quarters of the mining and quarrying workforce in 2020, with younger workers aged 15 to 24 only representing an average of four per cent of workers. The minerals and metals sector also ranked as the least desired sector when choosing a career in a 2020 MiHR survey of 3,000 Canadians aged 15 to 30.
This trend is exacerbated by decreases in mining-
The five-year I Chose Mining. Mining Chose Me. Scholarship Program was launched in 2021 to celebrate MiHR’s 25th anniversary.
related post-secondary engineering program enrolment. Mining, geological, and material and metallurgical engineering, the three most relevant programs to the mining industry, have experienced the lowest undergraduate enrolment among all engineering programs. Mining-related engineering program enrolment contracted by 27 per cent in Canada from 2015 to 2020 and is at its lowest level in more than 10 years. Additionally, out of 90,311 engineering undergraduates across Canada, only 2,321 were in mining-specific engineering programs in 2020.
Clearly, there is a dire need to better attract young workers to mining careers. Therefore, the MiHR led the development of the National Youth Mining Career Awareness Strategy 20212026 – which aims to guide research, program development and stakeholder engagement to better inform youth of the occupations and benefits available to them in the mining industry.
The strategy’s three key principals are to empower youth to engage with the industry and help shape the future of mining; to ensure equity, inclusion, and diversity are central to any programs with an emphasis on attracting and retaining members of underrepresented groups; and to apply evidencebased solutions and strategies that are informed, designed, and evaluated using current research, knowledge and best practices. Its five strategic directions focus on increasing youth engagement, transforming perceptions, reaching younger students, building alliances between industry and education, and promoting diversity in the workforce.
Stemming from the National Strategy, MiHR created the We Need Mining. Mining Needs You. career awareness campaign, anchored by the MiningNeedsYou.ca website. The site enables youth to learn what modern mining looks like, its necessity to transition to a low-carbon economy, and how they can help Canada be the world leader in safe, sustainable mining. It showcases the innovative technologies used in the sector, industry commitment to environmental sustainability and equity, diversity and inclusion, and what extracted minerals and metals are used for in everyday life.
Stemming from the National Strategy, MiHR created the We Need Mining. Mining Needs You. career awareness campaign, anchored by the MiningNeedsYou.ca website.
A suite of over 50 career profiles is available on the website, including up-to-date information on job responsibilities, salary ranges, and education requirements. Six new occupations were recently added to showcase the variety of positions available in the industry: environmental consultant; equity, diversity & inclusion specialist; Indigenous relations superintendent; instrumentation technician; Internet of Things technology specialist; and robotic welder operator.
Linked to the career profiles is a new Interactive World of Mining Careers that allows users to visually explore a metaphorical representation of six different mine work environments and the occupations within each area. Website visitors can also see where they might fit in the mining industry by taking the new Interactive Career Quiz. By building a profile and answering questions, users can explore matching careers. As career interests and skills are added or removed from their profile, career options will automatically update and a career pathway presents how job seekers can advance in a career in mining.
In connection with the career awareness campaign and in support of future mining talent, the five-year I Chose Mining. Mining Chose Me. Scholarship Program was launched in 2021 to celebrate MiHR’s 25th anniversary. It is awarding 10 $2,500 scholarships to post-secondary students in mining-related programs between 2021 and 2025. The first two recipients, Jimmy
Ding, studying Geological Engineering in Mining at the University of Saskatchewan, and Chantelle Delaney, studying Process Engineering at Memorial University, were selected for their hard work and interest in the sector. The deadline to apply for the 2022 scholarships is September 30, 2022.
MiHR’s flagship career development program, Gearing Up, also supports mining-related undergraduate students by offering wage subsidies up to $7,000 to mining-related employers that create workintegrated learning placements and related initiatives – such as co-ops, internships, field placements, applied projects, capstone projects, and case competitions. Gearing Up has provided over $10 million in funding to support approximately 1,600 post-secondary students over the last four years.
Engaging youth in mining is imperative to help them see the industry as an innovative, challenging, and rewarding career choice. Whether through career awareness campaigns, scholarships, work-integrated learning or other initiatives, industry partnerships are key to attracting the next generation of mining workers. Get involved in youth engagement by hiring a co-op student and applying for a Gearing Up wage subsidy, promoting We Need Mining. Mining Needs You. initiatives, or by visiting MiHR.ca and MiningNeedsYou.ca to learn more about how industry representatives can connect with MiHR to help youth discover their place in mining. 7
