’If you want excitement, then mining every single day is a challenge,’ says UBC mining student Veronica Knott.Veronica Knott grew up with no concept of mining. “We lived in downtown Toronto,” the 25-year-old says. “I could not be further from the mining industry.”
In response, some companies have started to post gender-neutral job openings, add female-focused scholarships and introduce flexible work schedules for young parents. The first trainee is an Indigenous woman, with four of the first 10 trainees also women, Mr. Ratz says.“Where we have the new operations we have a much better opportunity to get a diverse population,” he says. At Vale’s four-year-old hydrometallurgical processing facility in Long Harbour, Nfld., women account for 23 per cent of the work force compared with 12 per cent company-wide.
Diversity is one strategy to improve mining’s image, says UBC professor Nadja Kunz, cross-appointed to the schools of mining and public policy and one of four women in the 12-member mining faculty. Today’s graduates are interested in questions “that are beyond what traditional mining engineering is about,” she says.
While praising “very positive things happening” in recent years, she also urges expanded effort. “There needs to be recognition of the need for balance and diversity,” she says.
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