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Five young engineers are setting out on their pursuit of brilliance with De Beers Canada.

The diverse group of recent university graduates were hired to three-year work placements in our Mine Professionals in Training (MPiT) program. This brings to 31 the number of young Canadian mine professionals to participate in the program since it began in 2013. Most participants have continued on to become permanent employees, filling critical professional roles in the company.

Each will gain experience across our operations to put the knowledge learned throughout their university educations into practical use. They will be based in Yellowknife, NT and Timmins, ON to work at Gahcho Kué and Victor mines respectively.

Jenson Hu, from Yellowknife, graduated from McGill University with a Mining Engineering degree and is working at Victor Mine, a back-to-back winner of the John T. Ryan National Award for safety and the 2009 International Mine of the Year as voted on by Mining Magazine. “I’m excited to get my boots on the ground and get my hands dirty.”

Madelaine Lazurko grew up in La Ronge, Saskatchewan and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan. She starts her appointment at Victor Mine. “As a female entering a traditionally male-dominated field, having a mentor to lead me in the right direction and grow in my career from the start is an awesome addition to working in the field.”

Julia Skitcko, from Kitimat, B.C., graduated from the University of B.C. with a degree in Geological Engineering and joins the Gahcho Kué mine, which the world’s largest new diamond mine.

Keelan Mooney is not a newcomer to De Beers Canada, having worked at Snap Lake Mine for two summers as part of a scholarship program. A resident of Yellowknife, he holds a degree in Chemical Engineering, with a minor in mathematics and an Entrepreneurship diploma. Keelan joins the Victor Mine team.

Prabhjot Sanghera is from Victoria, B.C. and graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He starts his MPiT appointment at Gahcho Kué.

“We are extremely proud of our MPiT program, which has attracted an incredible amount of high quality applicants with diverse and leading-edge talent,” said Leo Fusciardi, Head of Technical for De Beers Canada. “Our graduates get world-class training which they use in critical roles at our De Beers operations and projects across Canada.”