NP says Kinross Gold pans for new young blood

2008-10-01 09:34 ET - In the News

The National Post reports in its Wednesday edition that Brian Stewart's first job has taken him 3,215 metres above sea level at Kinross Gold's La Coipa mine in Chile. The Post's Mary Teresa Bitti writes that Mr. Stewart was hired just before he graduated from Queen's University's mining engineering program in May, 2007. The international posting follows a six month stint in Nevada and another six months in Oregon as part of the Kinross Generation Gold program. The program was designed to attract new blood to Kinross and help develop its next leaders. With the mining industry facing crippling labour shortages in its most skilled and professional positions, Generation Gold has made a concerted effort to focus on recruiting and retaining engineering, geology, finance and business graduates from Canada, the United States, Chile, Brazil and Russia.

The need for companies to find ways to attract graduates and bring them up to speed quickly is no where more evident than it is in the mining and nuclear industries, where a perfect storm is brewing.

There is a real dearth of young experienced miners and geologists between the ages of 30 and 40. Generation Gold aims to build up bench strength in Kinross.