Trudy Cayen
Underground Miner 

Trudy Cayen is the first woman to graduate from the Aboriginal Underground Mining Program offered by the Mine Training Society (MTS). Trudy grew up in Hay River, Northwest Territories where she completed high school and worked as a convenience store clerk and later a cook. Not content with working at these low-skilled and low-paying jobs, she applied to participate in the Underground Miner Training Program. The course included eight weeks of a combination of classroom and field training. On successful completion of the program, candidates were almost guaranteed employment with Procon, a mine service contractor.

Today, Trudy operates a 45-tonne truck hauling materials to and from the mine's surface. These are lucrative jobs and can pay upwards of $100,000 per year for the average underground mine worker. Most of the miners at the mine work three weeks followed by three weeks off work. The field shifts are demanding, with employees working 10 to 12 hours a day, seven days as week, but Trudy says it helps the shifts pass quickly.

The number of women in underground mining is slowly growing. Three women have already signed up for the next intake of MTS trainees. It seems other people are starting to see the attraction of underground jobs. Ron Burke, Trudy's supervisor, is a big fan of the program and has seen improvements in the quality of applicants over time. He said, "before the mines, a grade 12 education didn't make much of a difference in your lifestyle so kids couldn't be bothered. Today, grade 12 qualifies you for the mines, and this means a significant impact on your income and on your future."

 The Mine Training Society is breaking down stereotypes. Trudy Cayen is one of only four female underground miners at BHP Billiton's Ek'ati Mine. Another three women have already applied for the next intake of underground mining trainees.

Source: Mine Training Society Final Report 2007, www.minetraining.ca (retrieved July 2, 2008)

Aaron Campbell
Mineral Processor

Aaron Campbell, son of a welder, withdrew early from school but later returned to upgrade his education at Aurora College, enrolling in a pre-employment welding training program. Like many trainees, Aaron found it difficult to find work as a welder and worked at a series of other jobs before learning of the Mineral Processing Program offered jointly by Diavik and Mine Training Society (MTS). The promise of an actual well-paying job following the training program was the primary driver for Aaron entering and successfully completing the program. "The real driver was money," said Aaron, "My first child had been born and I knew that I would get a paid job at the end of the program."

It proved to be an intensive six-month training program. Diavik had invested over $300,000 to have instructors from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology develop a curriculum specifically to address the needs of the mining industry. Participants had to undergo three months of theoretical classroom training at Aurora College followed by three months on-the-job training at the Diavik mine. Twelve of the 16 participants graduated from the program. According to the 2007 MTS annual report, nearly three years after the program was established, 10 of the former trainees are still employed at the mine.

Within the context of Diavik's succession planning program, Aaron has been promoted three times and is closing in on working in the control tower. MTS reports that Aaron, at the age of 23 is earning an enviable six-figure salary. Aaron is the first to admit that money is not everything but acknowledges the spin-off benefits for his wife and children. According to MTS, Aaron's wife Heather does not have to work and is able to stay home to raise their three small children. She is also able to attend business management courses in her spare time and by the time the children are school age, Heather will be in a good position to start a career of her own.

Source: Mine Training Society 2007 Annual Report, www.minetraining.ca (retrieved June 30, 2008)

Catherine Mitsuk
Mill Operator

Catherine (Cathy) Mitsuk, a 27 year-old Inuk from Hopedale, Labrador, is one valued employee at Vale Inco. Voisey's Bay mine. Open pit mining and processing began in 2005 at this location in northern Labrador on a peninsula 35 kilometers southwest of Nain. Cathy is one of approximately 290 people employed in mine operations and she is playing an important role in the production of nickel and copper sulphide concentrates at the mine concentrator.

Cathy was first exposed to opportunities in mining when, in 2004, she took a five-week concrete training course in Voisey's Bay when the mine was still under construction. Her training superintendent encouraged her to further develop her employability skills by taking a Mining Technician program offered through the College of North Atlantic in Labrador City. This option appealed to Cathy and she decided that the two years of training would be a good investment of her time. She was able to access financial support through JETA (Joint Voisey's Bay Employment and Training Authority) and went on to develop specialized skills in operating a variety of production equipment and in maintenance work.

When describing her line of work, Cathy says, "Basically we oversee the equipment operations of five different circuits of the mill. We are responsible for the equipment and making sure everything is working in optimum performance." Cathy began her employment in January, 2007, and has already been promoted a couple of times. She started as a Mill Operator 5 (process helper) and, after mastering the skills required in two of the five different circuits of the mill, has moved up to Mill Operator 3. She anticipates mastering another circuit stage and moving up another level in the near future. Naturally, she appreciates the increase in income, and the ability to learn and teach new skills that come along with advancement. She also describes her work as "very hands on."

Working on a two-week in, two-week out rotation, Cathy is very grateful that she can live in her home community with her six year old son and has become accustomed to living in the camp and to the 45 minute flights to and from her place of work. She says, "After graduating from high school I never thought I'd be working in the mining industry but I really liked the course and the on-the job-training. I also had a great opportunity for a four-month paid work term with the Iron Ore Company as a Process Technician and one thing led to another. I did not have a clue about the industry, but the work term with IOC really broadened my horizons." She says her employer and colleagues are very supportive and she says it is a non-intimidating environment. The mine life at Voisey's Bay is expected to be at least 14 years and Cathy foresees herself working several more years in her "not an everyday job."