LABRADOR CITY, NL – The Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) and College of the North Atlantic (CNA) have launched a new training program to upskill maintenance electricians in line with the latest advancements in mining operations and technology.
The Future Workforce-Electrical program is the first to be launched under a $2-million Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in December 2020 between IOC and CNA to collaborate on the development of new skills for mining industry workers.
IOC and CNA have delivered the Future Workforce-Electrical program – the first to be launched under a $2-million Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in December 2020 between IOC and CNA to collaborate on the development of new skills for mining industry workers.
Over the last two years, IOC and CNA worked jointly with the company’s training and maintenance departments in Labrador City to understand current and future needs related to automation, instrumentation and system configuration. This content was then incorporated into the Future Workforce-Electrical program.
The IOC-sponsored 11-week pilot program, delivered through CNA’s Customized & Continuous Learning department, kicked off on September 12 with a group of seven IOC employees. It combines theory with practical exercises in a laboratory setting that simulates IOC’s real-work environment.
IOC President and CEO Michael McCann said: “Our people are at the heart of IOC’s modernization strategy. The Future Workforce training program has been designed in collaboration with CNA and with the support of our union to provide our electricians with the additional skills they will need to support our operations as new technologies come online.”
The IOC-sponsored 11-week pilot program, delivered through CNA’s Customized & Continuous Learning department, kicked off on September 12 with a group of seven IOC employees. It combines theory with practical exercises in a laboratory setting that simulates IOC’s real-work environment.
CNA President and CEO Liz Kidd said: “The MOU signed in 2020 marked a critical opportunity for both the college and the mining industry to move forward with skills training and applied research advancements that would be beneficial to all involved.”
“Through this program, and others that will be developed as a result of this agreement, we need to ensure that, with specialized training, workers possess the appropriate skillsets and knowledge to advance in their fields and within the company. This is an exciting time for the mining sector, and CNA is poised to support the academic and hands-on needs of IOC so they continue to be innovative and competitive. We look forward to helping to facilitate this strategy for success well into the future.”
IOC employs approximately 155 maintenance electricians across its operations.
-30-
Notes to editors:
For more about IOC operations: visit:
www.riotinto.com
For more information about CNA programs, visit:
www.cna.nl.ca.
Media contacts:
Simon Letendre
M +1 514 796 4973
simon.letendre@riotinto.com
Michelle Barry
Communications Manager
College of the North Atlantic
Michelle.barry@cna.nl.ca