KIRKLAND LAKE, ON: Northern College Kirkland Lake Campus hosted a training event for staff from international mining equipment manufacturer Atlas Copco last week. 23 International Sales Technicians from across North and South America underwent surface diamond driller training at the campus.
Northern College, through the Haileybury School of Mines, has long been a national leader in mining education. In 2008, the college and Atlas Copco signed a Memorandum of Understanding which sees the entities collaborating on the delivery of the college’s Surface Diamond Driller Assistant Common Core program.
“To have an industry leader like Atlas Copco utilize our equipment and facilities for training is a testament to the quality of the education we provide,” says Christine Heavens, Executive Director, Community, Business Development and Employment Services at Northern College. “We have worked hand-in-hand with Atlas Copco for many years to ensure that our graduates meet the needs of employers in the exploration industry. When a global industry leader sends its employees from around the world to train in our facilities, it’s clear that we have some of the best training facilities available anywhere.”
Northern College’s drill site, now named The Atlas Copco International Training Site, is also used by the company for product development and testing, and is used in the creation of promotional materials. In exchange for access to the site, the company provides drill site audits, equipment servicing, and delivers training to program coordinators and instructors. They also provide a bursary to a graduating student of Northern’s Surface Diamond Driller Assistant Common Core program.
Northern College’s Surface Diamond Driller Assistant Common Core program is based on the modularized common core training standards and guidelines developed by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) and Canadian Diamond Drilling Association (CDDA).
For more information about the program, including start dates and registration, contact Rose-Lyne D’Aoust-Messier by telephone at 705-567-9291 ext. 3638 or by email at [email protected]