Canada’s mining industry has grown by more than 150 per cent over the past 11 years, promising bright futures for those in the geological engineering field.
According to Natural Resources Canada, the industry was responsible for over $50 billion worth of minerals in 2011, a huge upswing from the estimated $19.6 billion mined in 2001.
The success of mining in Canada has led to – and been fueled further by – the promise of further investments in the field. Some $140 billion is expected to be invested in the sector over the next five years, as reported in the Times Colonist.
Paul Hebert of the Mining Association of Canada was quoted as saying demand from overseas has helped drive the increase, which has seen rapid expansion of mining across the country.
“We’re seeing a lot more exploration, we’re seeing huge investments in projects of all sizes, investments to expand, but also investments in new projects,” he said.
The growth of the industry has led to renewed calls for more professionals, and students are answering the call. While 308,000 were employed in the field in 2010, Hebert said the next decade will see the need for some 100,000 additional workers.
With the promise of jobs opening up, young people are looking toward mining as a career option like never before. Applications are up, with the University of Toronto’s Lassonde Mineral Engineering program seeing a 200 per cent jump in the number of applicants over the past three years.
“The message is out that there are lots of opportunities and high-paying jobs,” program director John Hadjigeorgiou was quoted as saying.
Students are finding work quickly after graduating, a far cry from many fields. Of 25 U of T students expected to graduate this year, Hadjigeorgiou said they had virtually all been offered positions straight out of school.
The grads are, more often than not, moving directly into high-paying jobs.
While the news for the industry is positive, there will always be critics who point to the impact mining has on the environment. There are also indigenous land rights issues, as seen when a blockade was set up a few years ago to prevent Platinex Inc. from setting up shop on First Nations land.
Hebert said, however, that concerns over the impacts of mining are overblown. He said regulations made it such that the industry takes the utmost care when it comes to the environment and other delicate matters.
