Training Activities
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Meet some of the Newfoundlanders and Labradorians Gaining Valuable Work Experience at Mini-Pilot Facility in Sheridan Park...  |
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| Students participate in a drill-helper training program. |
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| Innu and Inuit Cultural Awareness Programs are delivered to all employees working at site. VBNC is committed to helping employees better understand and appreciate the unique culture of Aboriginal peoples. |
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Training and development is a key component of VBNC’s overall workforce development strategy for our operations in Labrador and on the Island. Our training and development initiatives focused primarily on our activities in Labrador particularly as they related to preparing Aboriginal people to capitalize on employment opportunities. Training at the Voisey’s Bay construction site and in communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador was sponsored by VBNC and the Joint Voisey’s Bay Employment and Training Authority, or JETA.
JETA is a not-for-profit company, funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, that has been established to provide work experience, education and training programs to develop the Labrador Aboriginal workforce for the Voisey’s Bay mine and concentrator project. The JETA board of directors is comprised of representatives of: Labrador Inuit Association, Innu Nation, Labrador Metis Nation and VBNC. JETA and its member organizations are providing training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal peoples, and contributing to the long-term sustainability of Aboriginal communities in Labrador.
In 2003, community-based training funded by VBNC and JETA saw 125 participants. Training occurred in Goose Bay, Natuashish, Sheshatshui, Nain and Port Hope Simpson. Construction trades helper, cooks helper and housekeeping training were designed to train individuals to support construction activity during the summer/fall of 2003. Pre-employment training sessions focused on areas such as resume writing, interviewing skills and life management skills. VBNC and JETA also jointly funded career counseling and facilitation skills training aimed at training individuals for the career counseling process.
With support from VBNC, JETA also offered a government certified heavy equipment operator apprenticeship program to members of Innu Nation. The purpose of the program was to train individuals to fill jobs in mobile equipment operation at Voisey’s Bay.
Training at the mine and concentrator construction site included a heavy equipment operation practical training program with IKC/Borealis. This three-month program, with financial and in-kind support from both VBNC and JETA, trained participants in the operation of large-scale equipment such as haul trucks, loaders and dozers. Practical training in maintenance and security was also offered at the mine and concentrator site as part of our commitment to the IBAs with the Innu and the Labrador Inuit Association. Thirty-four people participated in training at the construction site in 2003.
Various operational preparation training initiatives were also delivered at the mine and concentrator construction site and in several communities in Newfoundland and in Labrador. In total, 148 people participated in training aimed at familiarizing Aboriginal people with operational positions that will exist at the mine and concentrator site. Heavy equipment operation simulator training, health and safety training, drilling operation training, driver certification training and industrial instrumentation training were offered.
In preparation for operation of the hydrometallurgical demonstration plant at Argentia, Newfoundland, we are using the mini-pilot facility at Vale Technical Services Limited as a training ground for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to gain experience in the application of hydromet technology to treat Voisey’s Bay concentrate. In 2003 we began providing work term placements to College of the North Atlantic and Memorial University. We also recruited engineering and technology graduates to support the mini-pilot plant research and development program and to provide hands-on experience that would be transferable to the demonstration facility at Argentia. Approximately ten Newfoundlanders and Labradorians were working at the mini-pilot plant at any given time in 2003.
In addition, representatives from Vale Technical Services Limited worked with the College of the North Atlantic to modify an existing course to include specifics of the demo plant operation. The three-year Manufacturing Operations Technology course was aimed at three industries in Newfoundland and Labrador: Pulp and Paper, Mineral Processing and Offshore Oil. This course now includes Hydrometallurgy.
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