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De Beers Canada’s Mine in Professionals (MPiT) Program is designed to give newly graduated mining professionals in a range of disciplines the opportunity gain valuable workplace experience.

Mining engineers Adam Jordens and Hani Qureshi have been members of the program for over a year and this summer each earned a blaster’s certificate while working at Snap Lake Mine in the Northwest Territories.

“My initial assignment within the MPiT program was to Snap Lake – Mine Ops,” Jordens said. “While in that assignment there were multiple targets including the blasting ticket.”

“Obtaining my NWT blasting certificate felt great,” Qureshi said. “It allows me to continue my development through the MPiT program.”

In order to get an underground blasting certificate, Jordens and Qureshi needed to work with qualified blasters for a minimum of six months and work in an underground mining environment for a minimum of one year.

Through the program, participants are enrolled in a three-year program that exposes them to all aspects of De Beers’ operations. New graduates in mining related fields are hired into the program and receive on the job training across our Canadian operations, exposing them to work in open pit and underground environments.

“The Mine Professionals in Training program was designed to help new mining professionals learn and grow on the job,” said Leo Fusciardi, Head of Technical for De Beers Canada. “I am looking forward to the first group being appointed into substantive roles at our operations starting from early 2015.”

New university graduates in Mechanical Engineering; Chemical Engineering (specialization in Metallurgy); Environmental Science and Engineering; and Geosciences (Geostatistics/Geotechnical/Hydrogeology) are encouraged to look for application information in their universities in the coming weeks.