B.C. Government Ministers tour Elk Valley coal mines
Minister of Energy and Mines and MLA for Kootenay East Bill Bennett and Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk recently toured the Elkview Mine following a hands-on demonstration of a haul-truck simulator at the College of the Rockies.
"The province is expecting thousands of jobs in the mining sector to open up over the next few years — particularly in the Kootenays — and we need to ensure we are training students in the right region with the right skills," said Virk.
The college bought four stationary haul-truck simulators and one mobile simulator through funding totaling more that $2.8 million. Funding sources included $580,000 from the Province, $560,000 from the Columbia Basin Trust and more that $1.7 million through Western Economic Diversification.
"With over 4,000 employees working at the five coal mines here and many of the approaching retirement, the opportunities for my constituents to find well-paying work with Teck Coal are excellent," said Bennett. "The only hitch is that you need skills. This truck simulator is a terrific way to provide skills for a job that is in demand at the mines."
A 2012 report by the mining Industry Human Resources Council, in conjunction with the Mining Association of BC, showed that heavy-equipment operators and truck drivers will be the top two mining sector in-demand occupations in the next 10 years. The forecast shows that of 11,330 workers needed in the BC mining industry, 6,370 will be needed in the Kootenays.
Source: BC Government news
