Abstract
Mining has grown increasingly reliant on workers with specialized skills. As the industry has matured and become more technologically advanced, the need for workers with post-secondary education (PSE) has become increasingly important. A robust pipeline of qualified and skilled workers is needed to support expansion, avoid ongoing labour shortages and ensure the sector’s sustainability and competitiveness. Yet, Canada’s mining talent pipeline is shrinking. There’s been a significant decline in mining-related post-secondary program enrolment, and mining continues to struggle to attract and retain youth and equity deserving groups. Youth continue to hold negative perceptions of the sector and its careers, and hiring challenges are intensified by rural and remote mine locations.
This forum and panel will highlight findings from recent Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR) labour market research that show how mining has struggled to attract youth and diversify its labour pool. The panel will include academic and industry HR leaders who are on the front lines of attracting and recruiting a workforce in a competitive landscape.
Agenda
- Labour Market Trends and Outlook Presentation (30 minutes)
Ryan Montpellier, Executive Director, MiHR, will present recent labour market trends, workforce demographics, PSE programs, enrolment challenges and research on youth perceptions of mining careers.
- Industry / Post Secondary Education Panel (60 minutes)
Moderated by Charlotte Gibson (Queen’s University), the panel of six participants will include senior mining sector HR leaders who will share their unique challenges, strategies and tactics for attracting, recruiting and developing a skilled and diverse workforce. It will also include college and university representatives who will share their unique challenges and strategies for attracting and retaining students in their respective mining programs. Panelists will share how they are attracting students, challenges with retaining them and what supports are needed to ensure a more robust talent pipeline.
- Roundtable Session – Small Group Discussion (40 minutes)
The audience will be invited to break into small groups (8-10 participants per table) and will be asked to respond to key questions pertaining to the topics discussed by the panelists. Panel members will help facilitate the discussion at each table. Participants will be tasked with answering three to four key questions. Each table will appoint a spokesperson and scribe to capture the discussion. Pre-registration to participate in this Roundtable Session is highly encouraged by clicking on this link: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/3d3e4e0675bc4cc797fc05c7e2ce1f26. Participation priority at the Roundtable Session will be given to those that pre-register.
- Report Back and Wrap-Up Discussion (20 minutes)
Each table will have three to five minutes to present their group discussion summary to the audience. Facilitators will be asked to provide concrete actions that industry, academia and governments can take to help address the talent crisis in mining and improve collaboration between industry and academia.
White Paper
Following the event, MiHR staff will capture the notes and remarks to produce a white paper that summarizes the key takeaways from the panel and the group discussions. The white paper will shed light on the key issues and provide recommendations for a path forward.