Digging your career

Have you been hunting far and wide for a job in the trades?

Try looking down.

“It’s a period of tremendous growth in the Canadian mining industry, one that we haven’t seen since the post-war era,” says Paul Hebert, VP of Government Relations at the Mining Association of Canada. “We expect to have need for 100,000 new hires over the next 10 years.”

Skilled tradesman will make up the bulk of these new hires – according to the Mining Industry Human Resources Coucil,  the industry expects to need to hire more than 35,000 people by 2021, with mechanics, welders, millwrights, machinists, and electricians being the most sought after. 

There’s more than just gold in them hills — there’s also your new job.

Still, let’s not forget the gold.

“On average, mining is the highest paying industry in Canada,” says Hebert. How high, you ask while sipping coffee from the new 60oz Tim Horton’s cup? On average, an apprentice tradesperson walks away with $80,000 to $90,000 at the end of the year, while journeymen can make up to $140,000.  I’ll wait while you mop up the XXL spit-take you just performed. 

And it gets better. Most mining facilities are equipped with state of the art gymnasiums and fitness equipment, and provide world-class living accommodations that rival the Hilton.

But don’t be fooled, this job isn’t a free ride. It’s hard work. Mines are often established far away from friends and family. Shifts are upwards of 10 hours a day, and you can expect to sometimes work up to 21 days consecutively, depending on your employer, making family life a bit tricky.

Plus, every mine has its own unique set of challenges. Ingrid Lahaie, a student at Northern College’s Haileybury School of Mines, works in an underground mine near the northern tip of Quebec. She describes a concern of some people who work in northern Canadian mines: “In our case, weather is the main challenge. Surface workers have to deal with cold weather sometimes reaching -60 with the wind-chill factor. Underground, it is always a bit warmer but it stays below zero most of the year.”

Mining doesn’t just attract lizard-blooded workaholics though. It’s great for travel junkies since most jobs are contracted for set blocks of time, and new opportunities pop up all over the place, encouraging you to migrate across the country, or even the world to a new job site. 

Mining also appeals to rural, outdoorsy folk, since most sites are hours away from civilization and the ones that are really far out are designed like tiny cities so that you can live there in relative comfort for your contract’s duration. 

It’s perfect for someone like Lahaie, who quit her office job to learn how to work in the frontlines as a ground control technician. “I decided that I deserved to do a job that would stimulate me and would allow me to do something I’d be passionate about. The mining industry is very dynamic. The teamwork also appeals to me. Everyone has a job to do and if we all work together, we achieve awesome results.” 

Want to get in on the action? You can land an entry-level job as a general laborer or serviceman by having almost any sort of technical college-level or apprenticeship education, plus some good workplace references, related or not. Bonus-points for having at least a ‘Class 3 with airbrakes’ driver’s license.

But to get into the trades, you also need to be likeable. Sylvain Godbout, general foreman of mine maintenance at Mount Polley Mining Corporation, explains how being a team player isn’t just part of the job — it can also bump you up a pay grade. 

“I’d rather hire nobody than somebody,” says Godbout. “We hire most of our new apprentices from the laborers and servicemen who’ve worked long enough to have the right to apply to in-company postings. We look at their personality, see if they believe in working as a team.”

You’ll be spending so much time with the other tradespeople that a foreman like Godbout will consult with other managers to decide if you’d fit in with the group. Your aptitude for teamwork is often more important than how skilled you are.

Think you’ve got what it takes to join that team? Turn your job-hunt into a job-dig.

The Canadian Mining and Metallurgy foundation has many scholarships available for students in any level from high school to 3rd year university. See if you qualify at http://www.cmmf72.org/en/introduction-cmmf-scholarships.