Why one man chose a career in coal

New employees wear a green hard hat for safety reasons. Other workers know to mentor this person as they get oriented to the site. — Photo Courtesy of Teck.

James Hoy, 32, just got his first job in the mining industry. As the father of a nine-year-old son, he was looking for a job that provided both growth and sustainability. He believes he found both those things at Teck Coal in the Elk Valley of British Columbia.

Hoy started at Teck, ranked the number one producer of steel-making coal in North America, on August 22, 2011, as a full-time haul truck driver.

"From what I’ve experienced, Teck is a very employee-focused company," said Hoy. "They did a great job with all the safety training and if you ever have any safety issues, they don’t expect you to continue working if you don’t feel safe. They are very good in that respect. It’s a very good work environment.”

Every Teck employee receives the company's Courageous Safety leadership training, which is aimed at challenging existing beliefs and attitudes and encourages a culture of safety.

“Training was really good," said Hoy. "It started off with two weeks of schooling and training classes. Then I went through four days of haul truck driving on a computer-based program that teaches you all about the job itself. You also learn the mine site and you do tours and ride-alongs. That took two weeks. I felt confident once I started. For the first eight shifts, you get to drive with somebody else.”

With an impending labour shortage due to the baby boomer population reaching retirement, mining companies now have to go above and beyond in recruiting employees.

Nic Milligan, manager of community and governmental affairs at Teck Coal, said they have a few different strategies to bring employees in.

"We have a print advertising campaign that features employees at work as well as in their home and recreational lives," said Milligan. "This campaign focuses on lifestyle and work-balance benefits. Our website has a careers section: www.teck.com/careers. Also, our coal recruitment centre is located on Highway Three across from Elkview operations. We encourage applicants to simply drop in with their resumes."

The Elk Valley, and the East Kootenay in general, is home to numerous mining projects and mining is a main economic driver in the region. For Hoy, this is what drove him to apply for a different career after working for many years in the lumber industry.

“In comparison to other career options, I see long-term sustainability at Teck," said Hoy. "It’s a strong marketplace right now for coal and the mining industry in general, which is the biggest thing for me. I came from the lumber industry and it was a struggle there and everyone knew it. It was a lot more stressful. Mining seems a lot more stable.”

Teck Coal also offers competitive benefits to their employees, including extended health, dental, long-term disability, a pension plan, group RRSP, life insurance and a confidential employee and family assistance program. The company regularly participates in an industry-wide salary survey to ensure it remains current and competitive with the market.

“I decided to get into the mining industry because it offers better opportunities," said Hoy. "It’s good money and the time off is good. Working four days on and four days off means you only work half the year."

Teck also offers apprenticeships. This was an incentive for Hoy, who wants to get his electrical trade. An apprentice generally works for 10 months on the jobsite and then does schooling for two months.

"A big reason why I wanted a job at Teck is because they offer a lot of apprenticeships, so that was my intention, to try and get a trade," said Hoy. “I haven’t started the apprenticeship yet. It will probably take a year or two of working there. I will continue to drive haul truck, and there are other opportunities there as well to work with other equipment."

As Hoy patiently waits to further his skills, each day he's getting the experience he needs to make it far in a company that has a long reach.

Teck employs more than 12,000 people around the world. The average wage of its employees is $100,000 a year and the company has donated $15 million to $20 million to charity annually over the past five years.

On December 7, 2011, Teck donated $1 million towards the District of Elkford's new community centre.

"This building will enhance cultural and social opportunities while providing space for playschool and other offices," said Milligan. "We were proud to donate $1 million to that, out of recognition of that community's long relationship with mining in the region."

Teck was also a major supporter of the Canada Cup of Curling that took place in Cranbrook at the beginning of December.

Milligan said that Teck Coal has proposed expansions in the works at a couple of its operations, most significantly the environmental assessment certificate application that the company will submit shortly for its Line Creek phase two project.

Hoy said he feels that with over 120 occupations available in the mining industry and with over 10,000 jobs expected to be created over the next 10 years, he has come to the right place.