Smithers Exploration Group (SEG) and Northwest Community College (NWCC) are partners in the NWCC School of Exploration and Mining. The school is administered in Smithers, British Columbia but offers the programs in local communities, where the industry needs and training requirements are greatest.
The School offers the following courses for the exploration and mining industry:
- Mining Exploration Field Assistant Exploration Field Assistant (MEFA)
- Environmental Monitor Assistant Program (EMAP)
- Camp Attendant Maintenance Program (CAMP)
- Drillers Helper
- Core Technician
- Glacier till sampling
- Basic Prospecting
- All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Driver
- Wilderness Safety including Bear Aware, Chainsaw, Snowmobile, ATV
- Workforce Training including Occupational Health & Safety, OFA 1, OFA 3
- Oil & Gas industry including H2S Alive, WHMIS, TDG
- Heavy Equipment Operator
- Trades
- Introduction to Metal Leaching and Acid Rock Drainage Workshop
Graduates from the various courses are ready for employment. Rob Maurer and Tanya Reedy are Industry Training & Employment Liaison officers for the School of Exploration and Mining. They can be reached at rmaurer@nwcc.bc.ca or treedy@nwcc.bc.ca or 250-847-4461. For more information, visit NWCC's School of Exploration & Mining page.
The Reclamation and Prospecting (RAP) pilot program at the School of Exploration and Mining has been completed and the school is modifying the program to deliver it on an on-going basis. The new program will be called Environmental Monitor Assistant Program (EMAP).
RAP was an innovative training program aimed at attracting more First Nations to participate in the minerals industry. The training covered wilderness skills and safety, environmental sampling techniques and basic prospecting. The students worked with School instructors, First Nations team leaders and industry experts to assess reclamation needs on historic mine sites in the northwest.
Above: Reclamation and Prospecting (RAP) students from the NWCC School of Exploration and Mining are enthusiastic about the program.
Within a year of the 2007 RAP program, almost 90 percent of students were employed or had gone on to further their education. RAP was initiated by the Province of British Columbia and is jointly funded by the Province and Human Resources and Social Development Canada.