Page 96 By Kevin V incent Attendees to this year s Big Event may fnd themselves doing a dou bletake as they scan their surround ings Hundreds of high school stu dents from across the region will be mingling with traditional attendees throughout the twoday show getting to know more about the rewarding and varied career options in one of Ontario s most important industries mining Canadian T radeEx in partnership with the Far Northeast T raining Board FNETB College Boreal Northern College and NORCA T are cospon soring one of the biggest career fairs in mining ever in this part of the prov ince The goal of the initiative is to pro vide a forum where employe rs could meet with and inform students teach ers parents and career seekers about careers in mining said Canadian T radeEx President Glenn Dredhart The Regional Mining Career Fair runs June 6th and includes more than 32 booths at this year s Big Event Ca nadian Mining Expo According to FNETB data contained in a comprehensive study of mining jobs released this spring mining is alive and well In 2017 the data shows that mining companies and their sup pliers contrac tors etc employed 6461 individuals That fgure is ex pected to jump to 7137 emplo yees by 2019 and an even bigger leap to 7471 in 2021 The number dips by 2023 when the expected closure of Glencore s Kidd Operations is slated to shut down production at the world famous Kidd Creek zinccopper mine in north T im mins Notwithstanding that the good news is that the employment projec tions jump once again to more than 7300 positions by 2027 The bottom line is that there are thou sands of stable careers in mining for at least the next ten years According to FNETB Executive Director Julie Joncas more than 700 students are expected to att end the Big Event and participate in the Career Fair and fo rum sessions They will be able to talk about the range of opportunities that exist as well as the requirements and the ad vantages of a career in mining stated Joncas V isitors are being encouraged to bring their resumes to the show and em ployers will be conducting interviews that are expecte d to open students and career seekers to the incredib le possi bilities that come with a career in the mining industry In many cases they will have the opportunity for hands on exposure to various career s and the invaluable opportunity to talk oneon one with individuals who are current ly employed in the industry FNETB study data indicates that be tween 300500 retirements approx are expected to take place each year over the next decade In addition the study is predicting a 14 expansion in workforce requirements over the next ten years and that 30 of the ex isting workforce is expected to retire According to the study that represents a fgure that will require local mines and their suppliers to replace 44 of their workforce in the next decade Many students are unaware that min ing presents career opportunities far beyond the traditional image of the industry as a place for under ground miners Other careers include nursing engineering environmental health safety mechan ics heavy equipment operators truck drivers welders ge ologists clerical accounting pur chasing and inventory control According to the FNETB the regional mining industry is under going a pe riod of signifcant workforce adjust ment The growth forecast although modest 14 projected net growth from 20172027 when combined with the high retirement rate 30 projected retire ment from 20172027 will put signifcant pressure on work force availability It will take the collective eforts of in dustry educati onal institutio ns gov ernment agencies and communities to support the mining workforce adjust ment that will occur within the next ten years and to identify and develop strategies to train attract and retain a skilled workforce EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS IN MINING CAREER F AIR P AR T OF THE BIG EVENT IN 2018