The Mining Industry Needs More Than Just Engineers And Geologists

5 October 2010.  TalentEgg Incubator.

Depending on your interests, education and training, there are more than 120 different occupations within Canada’s mining industry.

With new mineral deposits being discovered in Canada all the time, the potential for meaningful employment and high pay for students and recent graduates in the mining industry is looking great!

This dynamic and constantly evolving field needs young, educated workers who can achieve the goals set out by the mine, the division and the corporation as well as those set in regards to safety, efficiency and profitability.

“Yes, you require those pillars of engineering and science, but you can’t get at the resources without the foundational people who are opening doors and making sure they stay open.” —Sean Junor, Manager of Workplace Planning, Cameco

With the help of the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR), we’ve compiled some information about just a few of the interesting jobs you might find in the mining industry right now.

Business, communications, sustainability, law and arts graduates

Although engineers and geologists are crucial to the industry, if they can’t access land and resources, or if they don’t have the support of the communities nearby, they can’t do their jobs. That’s where people with backgrounds in business, communications, sustainability and regulatory issues come in.

Sean Junor, Manager of Workplace Planning at Cameco, one of the world’s largest uranium producers, says there are many different kinds of career opportunities within the mining industry for young people outside of science and technology.

“Say you’re sitting in a business class or you’re wondering what to do with a communications program, there are a whole bunch of different usages for credentials within the industry. Say you do your communications degree from Ryerson, or a business degree from Trent, you’d probably think, ‘I couldn’t work in that industry because I’m not a miner, or I’m not an engineer,’ but there is a whole element of support [in the mining industry].”

Grads with these backgrounds are sorely needed because “as the industry expands and as land gets more and more scarce, you get into negotiations for more and more of it, and you need people with those backgrounds to do it,” says Junor.

“So yes, you require those pillars of engineering and science, but you can’t get at the resources without the foundational people who are opening doors and making sure they stay open.”

Community Liaison Officer

Community Liaison Officers (CLOs) work with mining companies as links to the local communities.  Specific to the mining industry, CLOs work with Indigenous communities and sometimes with environmental agencies.

This includes representing the community’s best interests, promoting events and services within the community, being an advocate for community members, and building relationships between industry and community groups.

Since many mines are located in northern locations, they are usually found in close proximity to Indigenous communities.  As a result, CLOs (sometimes called  Aboriginal Liaison Officers (ALOs) or Community Affairs Managers) work to bridge gaps between mining companies and Indigenous communities to create a common understanding between the two groups.

CLOs can come from a wide variety of educational backgrounds, including:

• Indigenous studies
• Social work
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Communications
• Education
• Anthropology
• Languages

Engineers

Engineers with training in a variety of specializations can find their place in mining.  Engineers in training must possess a bachelor of engineering degree and will eventually require their professional engineering (or P.Eng.) designation in order to have a stamp and hold responsibility for major decisions in the field.

“The young engineer’s exposure is rarely limited to one specific area and there is a lot of opportunity to see different disciplines in action at any given time.” —Mark Ashcroft, President and CEO, Stonegate Agricom

The day-to-day work of engineers in mining changes often. Mark Ashcroft, a professional engineer who is also the President and CEO of Stonegate Agricom, says, “The mining industry is a wonderful mix of professions.  The young engineer’s exposure is rarely limited to one specific area and there is a lot of opportunity to see different disciplines in action at any given time.”

“Due to the ‘extractive’ nature of mining, a mine is a dynamic environment that changes every day.  Nothing is ever exactly the same,” Ashcroft says.

“A young mechanical engineer could find himself in the pit or underground shop looking at maintenance issues on production vehicles.  A mining engineer could find herself collaborating with an electrical engineer and a telecommunications vendor as they discuss the management of wireless technologies and mining fleet dispatch software.”

Geologists and Geological Technicians

Geologists play a key role in many different aspects of the mining industry, from surveying locations for mineral and metal deposits, to the discovery, exploration, evaluation and production cycle of mining.  Their knowledge of geographical imaging (GIS) and other surveying systems is also valued.

Careers in exploration geology also offer opportunities to travel the world.

Geological Technicians supplement the work of geologists by collecting, preparing and analyzing samples.

This career path requires knowledge of chemistry, biology, environmental science, geology, computers and mathematics, but geological technicians can possess degrees in engineering technology, geology or computer science.

Mineral Processing Technicians and Engineers

 Mineral Processing Technicians process the ore extracted by mining crews and prepare it for shipping.  Mineral processing technicians usually possess degrees or diplomas in metallurgy, chemical engineering, mineral processing or metallurgical technology.

 Mineral Processing Engineers extract and refine raw minerals from ore using a variety of technologies and processes. They also find ways to reuse waste materials to leave less environmental damage on the mine site.

Surveyors

Mining  Surveyors revise and arrange mines, developing the direction and extent of underground operations as well as surveying techniques. In order to become a mine Surveyor, a mine technician/technologist diploma is usually required.

From there, they become a junior apprentice Surveyor for the first one to two years of employment.  They can eventually progress to an apprentice surveyor and then a surveyor as opportunities and training allow.

For more information about these career paths and others, including salary information, please visit the Employment Profiles and Career Paths pages of www.acareerinmining.com.

Gen Y unemployment decreased slightly in April, says Stats Can

TalentEgg Incubator.

Statistics Canada released new data on Friday indicating that employment for 15-to 24-year-olds increased by 23,000 jobs last month.

Gen Y employment increased by 0.5% in April, resulting in an employment rate of 55.4% overall.

Youth in Alberta benefited from the greatest gains last month with a 1.6% increase in employment, while those in Saskatchewan yielded the highest youth employment rate, at 63.3%.

Are you still looking for a job for the summer or after graduation? We’ve got lots of useful tips for you at TalentEgg!

Networking

Networking is a skill that is very under-utilized by Gen Y. You never know what connections and possible job opportunities are available from the people you know. Worried about sounding awkward? Check out these handy tips:

• How can I network if I don’t know anyone?
• 3 ways to make network connections
• How to succeed before, during and after networking events
• 6 strategies to make networking less awkward and more productive

Resumés

Your resumé, like your cover letter should be catered to the position you are applying to. The more information you can provide about the job you are applying to, the better. Check out these articles for more tips:

• Career Launching Resumés: Focusing on your greatest assets
• Including short references in your resumé is unique and creates value
• How should you describe your work experience on your resumé?
• Recruiters’ Top 20 resumé pet peeves

Cover letters

All applications should include a unique cover letter. Why? Well, because it shows you have put some research into your application. Check out some tips from the TalentEgg writing team:

• Why you need to send cover letters and how they’re changing
• 20 employers tell us what they want to see in cover letters from students

Interviews

Having good interview skills increases your likelihood at landing a great job. Conduct mock interviews with people you know to help improve your existing skills as well as help you practice for upcoming interviews. Check out these articles with tips on interviewing:

• Asking for and participating in a phone interview
• Most common job interview mistakes by students
• Build confidence by selling yourself in 60 seconds or less
• Ace behavioural interviews by drawing examples from internships and classes

Don’t forget to check out the career-launching roles on TalentEgg! We’re still posting summer jobs as well as tons of great entry-level positions every day!

Using your education to your advantage: QandA with a young entrepreneur

February 8 2010. TalentEgg Incubator.

Most of the business majors I’ve known have gone from university into the corporate world, bypassing any ideas of working for themselves.

I wonder why they do not opt to start their own businesses, based on the fact that their education can benefit various facets of the business world.

Guelph University business marketing alumnus Hattie Dunstan is a diamond in the rough. She has applied her formal education to help her business, Got Hattitude, which sells one-of-a-kind jewelry, become more popular.

Q. Did your degree give you the idea to start up your business?
A. I had started my business a few years prior to starting University, but my degree has helped launch my business full time. It has allowed me to market, brand and given me so many more ideas to help organize and infrastructure my business to compete on a full time level.

Q. Have you used your degree to help promote and develop Got Hattitude?
A. I have used my degree to develop Hattitude so much. It is so much fun to see how I started off five years ago, to what I am doing now with marketing Hattitude to the world. It has allowed me to brand my products.

I think marketing is the key to any business. I’ve seen some companies with an okay product, but they have marketed and branded themselves like crazy and are one of the top sellers.

I’m lucky since Hattitude is such a unique and one-of-a-kind product, it’s easy to market it and brand it to make the jewellery popular as well.

Q. What do you want to see from your company in the next year? Five years?
A. I would like to one day open a retail clothing and jewellery store, where Hattitude can be sold with the perfect outfit to match the jewellery. I love fashion, and although I think it would be awesome to create my own clothes, for now I think opening up a retail clothing store with local designers and also having an outlet to sell my own jewellery would be amazing, and is my long term goal.

Q. What words of advice do you have for other students and young grads who want to start their own business?
A. Follow through. Don’t give up. It’s so hard at first, and some people quit when they are not making enough money or things are not working fast enough. Businesses take time and effort and energy, and more hard work then a regular 9-5 job.

Even after a work day is over, I am still working on my business, whether it’s researching fashion on the Internet in my spare time, or imagining new designs, owning and running your own business takes more time and energy then you possibly could think.

Someone once told me that it takes 5 years to finally break even, and 10 years to start making money in your business. I also think it takes 10 years to build a customer and loyalty branding base. So it starts off slow, but when it picks up, it’s so worth being your own boss.

It’s exhilarating knowing that you’ve created all this work. Every new idea and new output that you come up with and implement is so exciting. When it’s a success the feeling is like no other knowing that you are the one that created it!

Inexpensive kitchen gadgets that will save you lots of money

February 5 2010. Launch Magazine.

Gen Y is by far the most technologically savvy generation to reach adulthood: we grew up playing Nintendo (and all its incarnations), had computers, taught ourselves to use the Internet, and have had a cell phone or two.

We are also part of the generation always looking out for the newest gadget and gizmo to make our lives easier or possibly more entertaining. However, many of us students and young grads don’t recognize that there are certain devices we should own before spending our sparse resources on that next gadget.

I admit that their functionality is limited and they’re not exactly sleek or very pretty. They’re not portable, either. But they’ll save you lots of money in the end. You can find them in a kitchen.

Give up?

Coffeemaker

I seem to be one of only a few friends with a coffeemaker and I don’t understand why. If you drink one cup of coffee a day and buy it from outside your home, the cost over time really adds up.

Let’s say you buy one $1.50 coffee Monday to Friday every week of the year. Each week you spend $7.50 on coffee and in a year that amounts to $390! And that is for one very cheap cup of coffee! If you go to premium coffee shops or buy more than one cup each day that number increases exponentially.

You can buy a coffeemaker for one person (less than six cups) for around $50 or a larger one for a little less than $100. A large canister of coffee can be bought for around $5 if it is on sale, and that canister can make you around 100 cups of coffee. All you need to get are some coffee filters (less than $3 a package) and a travel mug (like my amazing one with the caffeine symbol on it), and you’re good to go!

Slow Cooker

More popularly known as a Crock Pot, a slow cooker is used to cook dishes at a low temperature for long periods of time.

Some common things you can make are soups, stews and chili, but the possibilities are endless. They allow you to toss a bunch of items in before you leave for the day, and when you get home your dinner is ready! It is also economical because if you eat meat, you can buy lower-quality cuts and still have something that tastes really good.

The best part about them (and arguably my favourite thing): they reduce the amount of dishes you have to wash! Slow cookers can cost as little as $20 to over $100 depending on size, brand and where you are shopping.

If you still have that thermos you had from when you were a kid, you can bring in whatever you made the night before for lunch and save money that way, too. If you don’t still have your My Little Pony Thermos kicking around somewhere, water bottle company Sigg makes some really nice but expensive ones, or you could check out places like Walmart and Canadian Tire for cheaper options.

My response to A Conversation with Michael Ignatieff

29 January 2009. Launch Magazine.

I am completely non-partisan when it comes to municipal, national or federal elections. Elections at my university, however, are a completely different story, especially when it comes to the student union president position.

Every time there is an election, I go through each of the platforms and decide which one is the most plausible and aligned with my beliefs. I think there have even been a few times I’ve abstained if I didn’t feel like candidates have represented me adequately.

Recently, Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff embarked on a campaign to get the opinions of Canadian youth. A Conversation with Michael Ignatieff reached many universities, including Dalhousie, McMaster, Calgary, Manitoba and UBC. At most locations, the event was over capacity and students had to be turned away.

The campaign was a kick-off to the Canada at 150: Rising to the Challenge conference that will be held in March 2010. The conference is supposed to be non-partisan, yet is hosted by the Liberal Party, so take from that what you will.

I was in class, so I couldn’t attend the event at McMaster, and was also unfortunately unable to attend the online chat because I was doing some work for McMaster’s upcoming presidential elections. However, upon the reading the transcript of the online chat, I thought there were two very important questions which were asked.

[Comment From Mike Brown]
Mr Ignatieff, I would like to thank you for your cross country tour of universities. I had the opportunity to see you speak here in Calgary. My question is as follows: I recognize that post-secondary education is a provincial issue but just like health care it can be influenced by the federal government. Here in Alberta we are facing large increases in tuition each year without a comparable increase in quality of education. In fact, the quality has tended to decrease. Should the Liberal party form the government, how do you hope to help students cope with increasing tuition and, as a result, increasing student debt?

Michael Ignatieff: You get the grades, you get to go. That needs to be our motto for higher education in Canada. In practice this will mean higher levels of student aid, more grants than loans, and where loans are applied, longer repayment terms and lower interest rates where possible. We also need to incentivize hiring of young graduates from colleges and universities. The current level of youth unemployment–double the national average–is just too high.

I disagree with what Ignatieff says here based on what I have experienced: as someone who was illegible for OSAP, I couldn’t get bursaries or scholarships, even if my grades were high enough. Despite being a first-generation post-secondary student, I wasn’t eligible for that bursary once again because my parents’ income prevented me from getting OSAP.

However, I agree with what he says on hiring young grads: there are tons of us out there who want work, but are finding that companies are not always interested in new hires. Of course, this is also where TalentEgg comes in, but enough shameless self promotions.

Do you agree with Ignatieff’s statement here? Why or why not?

[Comment From Joe Turcotte]
Mr. Ignatieff, your recent university tour and this online town hall seem to indicate that you’re hoping to reach out to a new, and often overlooked, segment of the Canadian population– the youth. Could you please explain what role you see for Canada’s youth in politics today and describe any changes that the political system itself should take to engage/incorporate us?

Michael Ignatieff: I got involved first time when I was about 17 and once bitten at an early age, you stay bitten. Parties need to reach out and engage young people and give them responsibility early on. I was a national youth organizer for Trudeau at age 21, and that was a challenge. Bottom line: I trust young people because when I was young someone was crazy enough to trust me.

I completely agree with Ignatieff here. I think there is so much voter apathy amongst youth because there is no candidate to adequately represent us and, furthermore, we often see the issues the candidates present as irrelevant to our age group.

So, why are we so apathetic?

After all, we are the ones who will lead our country in the not-too-distant future. Is the problem that we don’t want to get involved in politics, or is it that we don’t know how to get involved?

What can we do to solicit change? How do we want Canada to function in the future?

The benefits of learning new languages, Part 1: Why take a language?

January 27 2009. TalentEgg Incubator.

Kwékwé skennenkó: wa ken? Danielle ióntiats. Ok nì: se?

I said, “Hello how are you? My name is Danielle. And yours?” in Mohawk.

Mohawk is the fifth language I am in the process of learning. I have completed classes in French, Spanish and Ojibwe as well as learned some German from my family.

Unfortunately, my fluency in all of these languages is poor at best: my French is limited to food packaging and episodes of Telefrançais. Although I could once read Harry Potter in Spanish, my knowledge of the language has deteriorated.

You could say I am really interested in languages, but I don’t know if I see it that way. If that statement were true, I would have much better speaking, and certainly reading, abilities in both Spanish and French.

Ojibwe and Mohawk fulfil some of the degree requirements for my Indigenous Studies minor. I was wary of taking Mohawk because I struggled so much with Ojibwe – it is not an easy language to learn since it is very different than English .

I have heard that there are many benefits to learning additional languages, and wanted to find out why so many experts suggest this. I asked McMaster University French and communication students professorAlexandré Sevigny about his opinions on learning additional languages.

Q. What are the benefits of learning a second or additional language? How can this help students academically or in their future careers?

A. The advantages of taking a second language are many.

First, every language you learn is a window onto a new cultural landscape. When you hear and read the world in a second language, the same scenes, the same family relationships are vibrant in new colours. That is why it is such a tragedy when a language is extinguished, when the last speaker passes.

Second, when you learn a second language, you learn how to interact with a new group of people. A whole new set of social possibilities are open to you.

ou can make new friends, engage new people politically or do business with them – all in a fashion that makes you feel and seem authentic to their way of living.

You can make new friends, engage new people politically or do business with them – all in a fashion that makes you feel and seem authentic to their way of living.

To address someone in his or her own language is profound sign of respect. It shows you are willing to step out of the bounds of your own identity, to make yourself vulnerable and communicate with someone else on his or her own terms, rather than on your own.

Third, it has been demonstrated that speaking several languages has cognitive and neurological health benefits.

While much of this sort of science is preliminary and maybe even shaky, some studies have suggested that practising multilingual people suffer less from things like Alzheimers and dementia.

Fourth, there is the academic asset of being able to read the thinkers whose theories you are studying in the original. No matter how good the translator is, there are nuances and subtleties in the original text that can never be transferred through a translation. Every text is much greater than the sum of its sentences and paragraphs. It has a tone, a feel, a music that can’t be replicated.

Roland Barthes, the famous French semiotician captured this very well when he spoke of “the rustle of language,” like the rustle of leaves in the trees, when a wind or breeze passes through the forest. That sound is unique and experiencing it in its forest of origin is unlike hearing it another place. The roll of the land, the height of the trees, the density of the leaves all make for sound that, while it resembles the wind in the trees in any other forest, is unique and beautiful in its little differences.

Language is the same – different languages permit the rustle of different winds of meaning and culture. Each language is unique.