Northwest Community College School of Exploration and Mining celebrates 10th anniversary

1 of 5EMAP students in an outdoor classroom. — Photo courtesy NWCC

2 of 5Two students of the Workforce Exploration Skills (WEST) program caught during a candid moment while working in the field in 2013. — Photo courtesy NWCC

3 of 5A student from the WEST program in 2013 collects data in the field. — Photo courtesy NWCC

4 of 5Students from the 2013 WEST program arrange soil samples after a field exercise. — Photo courtesy NWCC

5 of 5Students from the 2013 Environmental Monitoring Assistant Program (EMAP), a dual credit program for grade 11-12 students. — Photo courtesy NWCC

The Northwest Community College School of Exploration & Mining (SEM) in Smithers, B.C., is marking its 10th year of training young people for entry-level positions in the mineral exploration and mining industries.

“The school kicked off its 10th year celebrations at (the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia's) Roundup this year in January by hosting a reception in the Aboriginal Gathering Place,” said SEM projects administrator Danielle Smyth.

Later this summer SEM plans to host a Celebration of Learning event to pay tribute to new and past graduates, industry supporters and friends.

“Several speaking opportunities (at industry events) throughout the year will also share highlights from the last 10 years and goals for the coming decade,” Smyth said.

These events include the Smithers Exploration Group Rocktalk Conference, the Yukon First Nations Natural Resources Forum in Whitehorse and the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy conference in Vancouver.

The School of Exploration & Mining was founded in 2004 as a partnership between Northwest Community College and the Smithers Exploration Group, which advances mineral exploration and mining in northwestern British Columbia. SEM's purpose is to provide entry-level training that leads to employment in the exploration industry.

“By responding to the needs in the industry, SEM provides its graduates with the best chance of employment success,” Smyth said.

The school is located on the Smithers Campus of Northwest Community College and offers 10 programs and courses.

“They all focus on hands-on, field-based training, to give students a realistic experience of the work environment,” Smyth said. “Courses and programs range from two days to eight weeks and they have all been designed to prepare graduates for specific jobs required by the exploration and natural resource industries.”

Training at SEM is delivered in three different ways. First, there are regularly scheduled, public, tuition-based courses. They include surface diamond driller’s helper, mining exploration field assistant, mineral processing operator, and prospector basic training.

In addition, there are specialized programs, often camp-based, consisting of courses that have been customized to deliver a specific menu of training. Examples include an environmental monitoring assistant program and workforce exploration skills training.

Finally, SEM offers customized training delivered in remote locations on contract to industry, community and industry organizations. For example, SEM has delivered programs on contract to the Aboriginal Mentoring and Training Association (formerly the BC Aboriginal Mining and Training Association).

“SEM is a leader in developing and facilitating programs,” said Leonard Jackson, Kamloops, B.C., based AMTA director of operations. “It has delivered eight to 10 programs to a total of 86 students since 2010 for our candidates.”

SEM delivers life-skills programs for AMTA candidates to prepare them for job-specific training—as drillers' helpers, camp cooks and heavy equipment operators, for example—which it also delivers.

Students receive NWCC completion certificates for each completed component course in a program, and for the program overall.

“Many of SEM's courses are customized for workforce needs and are not for university credit,” Smyth said. “The mineral processing operator program is SEM’s first that is for university credit.”

After their training has been completed, SEM graduates take jobs in exploration, mining, environmental consulting or government, and some go on to further training.

“The job niche that SEM targets is entry-level opportunities, but graduates often move into positions of more responsibility once they are employed,” Smyth said.

Some typical jobs that SEM graduates fill are drill core technicians, exploration field assistants, swampers, survey assistants and soil samplers.

In its 10 years of existence, SEM has trained more than 1,200 students, an average of 120 per year.

“SEM's instructors come from professional backgrounds in the exploration and natural resource industry,” Smyth said. “Many of them work on an auxiliary basis, often taking time away from their other work to deliver SEM training. While this can cause a challenge in securing instructors, we find this is outweighed by the benefit of their industry experience.”

According to the numbers, SEM has been a great success. Between 2004 and 2014, it has had an overall graduation rate of 89 per cent and an aboriginal graduation rate of 89 per cent. In addition, 72 per cent of all graduates and 75 per cent of aboriginal graduates have successfully gone on to employment or further training.

Although most of SEM’s graduates come from B.C., they represent a total of 113 different communities across Canada.

SEM has been a success according to its partners, too. The school has developed partnerships with many industry organizations in B.C. to deliver training, including the Mining Association of BC, Geoscience BC, Imperial Metals Corporation and the Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia (AME BC).

Gavin Dirom, president and CEO of AME BC, said SEM has been a source of strength for the province's exploration industry.

“SEM has really helped our industry with its innovative and practical programs,” Dirom said. “And AME BC was pleased to support its Workforce Exploration Skills Training Program in 2013.”

Northwest Community College School of Exploration and Mining is unique

There are a number of features that distinguish SEM from other organizations that deliver occupational training:

• It provides hands-on field based training in a realistic work environment. Camp-based training places students in a 24-hour learning environment that prepares them for shift work in remote locations.
• SEM works collaboratively with industry to develop training and quickly responds to changing labour market needs.
• The school develops strong partnerships with industry and sector-based organizations to meet the industry's human resources and skills requirements.
• SEM incorporates student success in all of its training in order to help them overcome barriers to learning and help them gain and maintain employment.

SEM incorporates a number of features to encourage student success:

• Learning assistant specialists who work with students to address specific learning and life challenges.
• Team leaders (often aboriginal) who live in camp with students and provide mentoring, support and tutoring.
• Essential skills training that includes communication skills and conflict resolution.
  

There are a number of features that distinguish SEM from other organizations that deliver occupational training:

• It provides hands-on field based training in a realistic work environment. Camp-based training places students in a 24-hour learning environment that prepares them for shift work in remote locations.
• SEM works collaboratively with industry to develop training and quickly responds to changing labour market needs.
• The school develops strong partnerships with industry and sector-based organizations to meet the industry's human resources and skills requirements.
• SEM incorporates student success in all of its training in order to help them overcome barriers to learning and help them gain and maintain employment.

SEM incorporates a number of features to encourage student success:

• Learning assistant specialists who work with students to address specific learning and life challenges.
• Team leaders (often aboriginal) who live in camp with students and provide mentoring, support and tutoring.
• Essential skills training that includes communication skills and conflict resolution.