Federal government supporting B.C. talent and labour pool through investments
by CM Staff
Funding will provide 300 scholarships targeting individuals who require financial support to access the program, making it more inclusive and accessible to a wider audience.
VANCOUVER — Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a $1-million investment over two years to the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Bradshaw Research Institute for Minerals and Mining (BRIMM) to support the development and increased offering of its Executive Microcertificate in Economic Leadership for Mining program.
The program will boost professional careers by teaching organizational leadership skills while addressing key challenges faced by mining and exploration companies worldwide. Funding will provide 300 scholarships targeting individuals who require financial support to access the program, making it more inclusive and accessible to a wider audience. BRIMM will also provide two in-person microcertificate programs for up to 50 students each in Argentina and Chile to grow and strengthen professional networks.
BRIMM microcertificate graduates will actively contribute to enhancing environmentally sustainable practices through conscious leadership in a world where business optimization and sustainability have become a priority for economic development. The program will try and help address the current skilled labour shortages in the mining sector in Canada and many other mineral-rich countries.
In 2019, Canada joined the governments of Australia, Botswana, Peru and the United States to found the Energy Resource Governance Initiative (ERGI), with the goal of sourcing and disseminating best practices across the international mining sector while also promoting responsible mining with a focus on economic growth and environmental performance. At COP15 in 2022, Canada, along with Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, launched the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance to drive the global uptake of environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive and responsible mining, processing and recycling practices and responsible critical minerals supply chains. Through commitments like these, Canada is pursuing collective action on critical minerals to support the global transition to green energy and more-resilient supply chains.
“Canada is a world leader in environmental, social and governance standards with respect to mining. The Government of Canada is seizing the generational opportunity presented by critical minerals in a way that benefits every region across the country and enhances Canada’s international leadership in this space,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
