Yukon Premier announces additional funding for Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining

The Government of Yukon will provide $5.8 million in funding to assist the delivery of trades training through the Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining (CNIM).

“The Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining will provide Yukoners with the training they need to gain successful careers in the territory’s mining and other industries,” Premier Darrell Pasloski said. “It will give Yukoners in-demand trades experience and help provide the labour market with the skilled workers it needs.”

This commitment will provide operation and maintenance funding across five years to support CNIM programming. It is in addition to the $5.6 million in capital funding previously announced, which matches federal capital funding for CNIM. This will bring the Yukon government contribution to CNIM to more than $11 million over five years.

The operation and maintenance funding from the Yukon government will enable the centre to increase the diversity of courses offered. For example, the winter 2014 semester can now include Heavy Equipment Operator and Underground Mine training, among other courses. The Mobile Training Trades Trailer, which will provide pre-apprenticeship training to high school and adult students in communities across Yukon, will also be administered through CNIM.

“Trades training has been at the heart of Yukon College programming for 50 years, and this new Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining will provide long term sustainable training, education and research related to northern resource development for years to come,” Yukon College President Dr. Karen Barnes said.

CNIM plans to increase the number of registered industrial apprentices and Red Seal journey level trades people in Yukon and provide a venue for graduate students to engage in research related to mining in the North.

“The Government of Canada is proud to support the new Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining in Yukon,” said the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Minister for the Arctic Council. “The new centre will help Yukoners and Northerners to get skilled local jobs and benefit from the opportunities in the resource development sector.”

Federal funding for CNIM was announced in August and will be delivered through the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.