Iron Ore Company of Canada, CNA launch future workforce program for electricians

As the introduction of new autonomous and electric mining equipment continues, it is important for mining companies and their workforces to stay up to date. Toward that end, Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) and the College of the North Atlantic (CNA) have launched a new training program to upskill maintenance electricians.

Called the Future Workforce Electrical program, this is the first to be launched under a C$2 million agreement signed in December 2020 between IOC and CNA.

They are collaborating on the development of new skills for the mining industry. The partners have been working jointly with the company’s training and maintenance departments in Labrador City, Nfld., to determine what skills are necessary for the automation, instrumentation and system configuration as the numbers of EVs proliferate.

IOC is sponsoring an 11-week pilot program, delivered through CNA’s customized and continuous learning department, kicked off on Sept. 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 produces iron ore pellets and concentrate for owners Rio Tinto (58.7%), Mitsubishi (26.2%) and the Labrador Iron Ore Royalty Income Corp. (15.1%).

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