IOC to hire College of the North Atlantic graduates
11/19/2004 9:53:13 AM
Before the end of this year, the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) will have hired most of the graduates from College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Mining Technician program as part of a strategy to meet its future workforce demands.
In 2000, the College began working with IOC and the United Steelworkers Local 5795 to develop a plan to address an identified shortage of future skilled workers for the mining industry. The result was the award-winning Mining Technician program (formerly Mining and Mineral Processing and known at IOC as the Employee of the Future program).
In a press release issued November 4, IOC President and CEO Terry Bowles, announced the mining company’s intention to recruit “the outstanding graduates of the current Employee of the Future program for regular, full-time roles for its Labrador City operations.”
Graduates from this program will be hired over the next several weeks with most joining IOC’s workforce at its Labrador City operation by year-end. Employment opportunities for these graduates also exist at the company’s Sept Iles plant, and in other mining operations in the province and throughout the world.
“Our partnership with the Iron Ore Company of Canada and the United Steelworkers Union, and the resulting Mining Technician program, is a shining example of the vital role College of the North Atlantic plays in preparing a skilled workforce for industry within the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond,” says Brian Tobin, Director of Academic and Student Services with the college.
“It is also an excellent example of how the College is positioned to work with industry to identify their current and future workforce training needs and provide solutions that benefit both the industries and residents of the province.”
With IOC expecting a large number of retirements over the next five to 10 years, Mr. Bowles says they will be looking to continue their partnership with College of the North Atlantic well into the future.
“These additions are good news for our company and also for the communities,” he says. “We look forward to attracting and developing even more capable men and women through this very successful program in the future.”
College of the North Atlantic is Newfoundland and Labrador’s public college, producing some 3,000 graduates per year from nearly 100 one-, two-, and three-year diploma programs. The College also regularly partners with industry and has a robust Corporate Services division, offering workplace training to business and industry throughout the province.
The Iron Ore Company of Canada is the largest manufacturer of iron ore pellets in Canada. It operates a mine, concentrator and a pelletizing plant in Labrador City, as well as port facilities located in Sept-Iles, Quebec. The Company also operates a 418 kilometre railroad that links the mine to the port.
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For more information contact:
Stephen Lee
Communications Manager
College of the North Atlantic
(7090 643-7929
Or
Michel Filion
Director, Communications
IOC
(514) 217-6253