Yukon College celebrates 50 years

1 of 4A student from Yukon College's Mineral Resources program working at the Minto Mine. — photo courtesy Yukon College

2 of 4Yukon College students get 16 weeks of work experience. — photo courtesy Yukon College

3 of 4Yukon College students training on mining simulator programs. — photo courtesy Yukon College

4 of 4Yukon College students studying core samples in class. — photo courtesy Yukon College

Yukon College has a lot to celebrate in this, its 50th year, including the recent establishment of the new Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining (CNIM).

Established in November 2012 after a feasibility study, the centre is the school’s answer to the significant need for Yukon-based mine training, education and research.

According to CNIM executive director Shelagh Rowles, while there was diminished demand for mine training in the 1990s after major mines shut down, by 2008 it was evident that another boom was beginning within the territory.

“Between 2008 and 2010 the college engaged in a feasibility study for a more formal way of addressing training needs,” said Rowles. “Before, if we had individuals that were interested in pursuing employment in an industrial setting they might have taken some of our pre-employment apprenticeship courses, but there was nothing that was specifically targeted to the mining industry.

There wasn’t a way to co-ordinate the delivery to serve the needs of multiple mines and multiple communities in a co-ordinated way.”

With a projected growth in mines and in the global economy, Rowles said, there was a strong argument for a centre for northern mining and innovation to be founded in Whitehorse.

“The thought was to not only look at training in isolation,” said Rowles, “but also to be a place where we would conduct and facilitate research that would help with the sustainability of mines, with reclamation practices and ways that mines can continue to operate well in the midst of climate-change challenges. Now we have a much more co-ordinated, holistic approach to responding to the needs within the territory.”

Rowles said that due to the working relationships the school has developed with northern mines, the centre is able to offer unique, hands-on training to students and contract training to mines already in production.

“There are many programs that people could take across the country,” Rowles said, “but here, people have the opportunity to work in a field environment that’s in the midst of a mining boom with some of the richest deposits in the country. They’d have the opportunity to go out and test and explore that, not just look at the theories.”

CNIM starts the training up front, Rowles said, giving students the opportunity to work for 16-week periods in mines, in exploration or in other industrial sectors.

“There are field opportunities, and we see that as a huge opportunity for students when it comes to the apprenticeable trades,” said Rowles.

She said the centre completed its first Introduction to Mining Operations program this spring, introducing students to three producing mines, the mining life cycle, heavy equipment used in Yukon’s mining industry, and a two-week full-shift work placement.

Rowles said the centre also personalizes its hands-on brand of training to better serve students’ needs.

“Rather than having a transcript-driven selection process, we really tried to match people with job opportunities,” she said. “We advertised the program and HR people from the three producing mines and myself actually interviewed every single applicant. From the beginning there was a bond created between the industry people and the students, and for the students this was their roadmap to getting employment.”

The 12 students who were selected for the program were introduced to the mining life cycle in a supported environment so they’d understand all components of mining, from basic exploration through to closure. That program ended about a month ago and 11 of the 12 graduates of the program are now employed.

Based on the success of the pilot introduction to mining program, Rowles said the centre is now in the process of developing a comprehensive program plan that would start in August.

“There’s a lot of activity,” she said. “Now it’s just confirming that indeed we have the budget to go ahead and plan and prepare and implement.”

Rowles said the activity at CNIM is part of a larger trend at Yukon College, which she said is going through a transformation right now due to a change in demand for training.

“We are actually in the process of exploring the viability of becoming a university,” she said. “We don’t have our own degree yet, but we’re working towards that.

“Historically, people would go outside for their education and then return to the territory for work. That’s changed. We see a real desire here with people in the territory to not have to leave in order to pursue education. The centre is serving that well.”

The history of Yukon College

1963: Founding post-secondary education in the Yukon

In June 1963, the Whitehorse Vocational Training School opened its doors on the banks of the Yukon River just southeast of downtown Whitehorse. Courses were offered in office administration, building trades, automotive mechanics, heavy-equipment operation, drafting, food services, practical nursing and hairdressing.

1960s: Training for future goals

Harry Allen, Gerald Isaac, Frances Woolsey and many other First Nations students attended Yukon Vocational and Technical Training Centre to acquire skills and certification in the 1960s. After graduation they worked and also contributed to organizations such as Skookum Jim Friendship Centre, Yukon Native Brotherhood and Yukon Association of Non-Status Indians, building the land claims movement in the territory.

1965: Changing names for changing times

The Whitehorse Vocational Training School was renamed the Yukon Vocational and Technical Training Centre in 1965 to reflect the growing number of students from across Yukon as well as the expanded program offerings.

1983: College status

In 1983, the institution changed its name to Yukon College after college status was granted in the spring. Academic courses joined vocational trades training to offer a broad range of post-secondary education to Yukon students close to home.

1988: She got up and went

In June 1988 the college moved its Whitehorse campus to the new facility at Yukon Place, alongside the Yukon Arts Centre and the Yukon Archives. The new campus was officially opened with a potlatch in October 1988. First Nations people of the territory were represented by Angela Sidney and George Dawson. Sidney, whose mother tongue was Tagish, was asked to give the Whitehorse campus a First Nations name. She began by describing how her father’s people had built a killer whale house on the banks of a river, and then had to move it when they discovered that the house was too close to the riverbank. Observing the similarity between the killer whale house and the main campus, she named the college Ayamdigut (Ay Am DaGoot), a Tlingit name that means “she got up and went.”

2008 to 2012: Keeping up with the mining boom

While the mining industry in Yukon had been active in the 1980s, many major mines shut down in the 1990s due to a prolonged slump in commodity prices. Shortly after the turn of the century, however, commodity prices started to rise and it was evident that exploration and mining would again play a significant role in Yukon's economy. In response to the increased exploration and mining activity, Yukon College initiated a feasibility study to determine if the recent growth in exploration and mining in the territory warranted the creation of a mine training centre at Yukon College.

2012 to 2013: The Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining

In the fall of 2012 the Yukon College Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining came into being. Within a few short months, the centre offered its first Introduction to Mining Operations program. The program introduced students to three producing mines, the mining life cycle, heavy equipment used in Yukon's mining industry and to a two-week full-shift work placement. Eleven of the 12 graduates of the program immediately found employment.

August 2013: Innovative, comprehensive mining training

The Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining is finalizing plans for comprehensive mine training to start in August 2013.

In June 1963, the Whitehorse Vocational Training School opened its doors on the banks of the Yukon River just southeast of downtown Whitehorse. Courses were offered in office administration, building trades, automotive mechanics, heavy-equipment operation, drafting, food services, practical nursing and hairdressing.

Harry Allen, Gerald Isaac, Frances Woolsey and many other First Nations students attended Yukon Vocational and Technical Training Centre to acquire skills and certification in the 1960s. After graduation they worked and also contributed to organizations such as Skookum Jim Friendship Centre, Yukon Native Brotherhood and Yukon Association of Non-Status Indians, building the land claims movement in the territory.

The Whitehorse Vocational Training School was renamed the Yukon Vocational and Technical Training Centre in 1965 to reflect the growing number of students from across Yukon as well as the expanded program offerings.

In 1983, the institution changed its name to Yukon College after college status was granted in the spring. Academic courses joined vocational trades training to offer a broad range of post-secondary education to Yukon students close to home.

In June 1988 the college moved its Whitehorse campus to the new facility at Yukon Place, alongside the Yukon Arts Centre and the Yukon Archives. The new campus was officially opened with a potlatch in October 1988. First Nations people of the territory were represented by Angela Sidney and George Dawson. Sidney, whose mother tongue was Tagish, was asked to give the Whitehorse campus a First Nations name. She began by describing how her father’s people had built a killer whale house on the banks of a river, and then had to move it when they discovered that the house was too close to the riverbank. Observing the similarity between the killer whale house and the main campus, she named the college Ayamdigut (Ay Am DaGoot), a Tlingit name that means “she got up and went.”

While the mining industry in Yukon had been active in the 1980s, many major mines shut down in the 1990s due to a prolonged slump in commodity prices. Shortly after the turn of the century, however, commodity prices started to rise and it was evident that exploration and mining would again play a significant role in Yukon's economy. In response to the increased exploration and mining activity, Yukon College initiated a feasibility study to determine if the recent growth in exploration and mining in the territory warranted the creation of a mine training centre at Yukon College.

In the fall of 2012 the Yukon College Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining came into being. Within a few short months, the centre offered its first Introduction to Mining Operations program. The program introduced students to three producing mines, the mining life cycle, heavy equipment used in Yukon's mining industry and to a two-week full-shift work placement. Eleven of the 12 graduates of the program immediately found employment.

The Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining is finalizing plans for comprehensive mine training to start in August 2013.