BC AMTA celebrates two major milestones

On February 27, 2013, 37 students graduated from BC AMTA's Mining Skills for an Entry-Level Workforce program in Williams Lake, B.C. — Photo courtesy BC AMTA

Fifty-five graduate students, two British Columbia communities and more than eight First Nations bands were represented.

The last week of February 2013 not only marked an incredible milestone for the British Columbia Aboriginal Mine Training Association (BC AMTA), it also changed the lives of 55 First Nations students and their families.

On February 27, 37 students graduated from the BC AMTA's Mining Skills for an Entry-Level Workforce program at the association's new Williams Lake office. Then on March 1, 18 more students graduated from the same program in Merritt, B.C.

The last time Mining & Exploration spoke with Laurie Sterritt, executive director of BC AMTA, the organization was just getting back on its feet and working towards regaining funding after having to shut its doors in 2012. The graduations in February and March are a testament to the hard work of those in the association who never gave up on the hope that they could help foster a future for so many First Nations people across the province.

"We have a record number of graduations and are definitely marking the success rate and the acceleration of our success in these new offices," said Sterritt. "We now have more experience and know how to put together programs and solutions for communities with a much quicker turn-around."

At the end of July 2012, the BC AMTA landed a federal funding agreement for $10 million, and along the way, according to Sterritt, it was able to attract some provincial money as well. In the Kootenay region, the BC AMTA got a little bit of support from the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Development, and in the Cariboo region, it was successful in landing some funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education and its aboriginal training and employment program. The association now has secure funding until the end of March 2015.

Part of the mandate with the new round of funding was to expand services to other areas of the province. The BC AMTA recently opened offices in Cranbrook and Williams Lake, and it is in the midst of opening one in New Aiyansh, 97 kilometres northwest of Terrace.

"The two graduations represent two different programs," said Sterritt. "All of our students go through Pathways to Success, which supports them to get essential skills, upgrading and pre-training—which will set them up for success in other programs. It helps them to get security, safety first aid tickets, some special driver licensing depending on the type of career they’re preparing for, among other things. Then the second level of training is the Mining Skills for an Entry-Level Workforce program. Basically, this is an orientation to mining and the different types of equipment used in the mining industry. The program prepares students for any type of job coming available at entry level."

These two programs, along with a host of other training options and initiatives, are being held at all BC AMTA offices across the province.

"We definitely bring our candidates through a similar process in every region," said Sterritt. "We start out with a candidate assessment and try to understand from a personal perspective who these people are. We want to make sure we’re coaching and directing them towards a sustainable career rather just looking at landing a job and paycheque. It's really a holistic approach."

The Pathway to Success program is vital, as it ensures candidates understand the whole intake process at the mine sites they are interested in. Sterritt said every hiring manager is different and it's not always a set process, but they try to help take away the fear and unknowns out of that. BC AMTA helps candidates through mock interviews, resumé preparation and so on. This means they end up with candidates who are very confident to go through the process.

So for the 37 graduates at Williams Lake, it was a big day. The mayor of the town, a number of dignitaries and the graduates' families were all there to support them. Sterritt said one of the most touching stories from the graduation day was when an elder got up to say a few words.

"The elder was quite emotional because her 42-year-old daughter was graduating as well as her 18-year-old granddaughter," said Sterritt. "It was really quite something to see there is new hope and new inspiration in these individuals and families that may not have had opportunities prior to BC AMTA supporting them."

Three major employers were also on site at the graduation conducting interviews prior to the ceremony. Sterritt said these employers are actively hiring and looking at BC AMTA candidates to fill vacancies.

"This milestone that we passed that week was very satisfying to me and the BC AMTA staff who have worked really, really hard not only to continue our funding but to show the value we are bringing to communities," said Sterritt. "It’s very validating to know what we’re doing is actually making a difference in the lives of individuals. It wasn’t an easy year last year. We really felt like we had to fight for our continued funding and our survival as an organization. So now that we are through that, we really needed to have these milestones to show that we’re back on track, we absolutely have momentum and we’re unstoppable. We’re doing something that is absolutely making a difference in families and communities. We hope our supporters and sponsors see that when we pool our resources and efforts, it makes a difference and this is worth continuing."