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After close to 15 years working for De Beers in South Africa and Canada’s Northwest Territories, Michelle Peters knows a thing or two about being a woman working in the mining industry.
She was one of three presenters who shared their experiences and insights to increasing the number of women in mining to an audience of 45 female high school students. The presentation to Grades 11-12 students from high schools in Yellowknife and Behchoko took place at a luncheon hosted by De Beers Canada on November 17 in Yellowknife.
“We wanted to provide the students with insight into the mining sector – potential career options where they can make the right study choices in high school that positions them for success,” said Kelly Brenton, Superintendent of Indigenous Affairs and Sustainability.
“The event was a success. We had very positive feedback from the teachers and students, who were happy to learn more about positions in mining and at De Beers.”
The event was organized as part of De Beers’ effort to increase workforce diversity. In addition to a Gender Diversity & Inclusion team working on internal policies and programs to enhance diversity, the company has also launched a scholarship program in partnership with UN Women. De Beers has committed $300,000 to a new scholarship program focused on encouraging Canadian women, to enter careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. The first scholarships will be awarded in coming weeks to two students at the University of Waterloo, with an additional 16 De Beers scholarships to be awarded for 2018-2019 that includes a focus on female students from communities close to De Beers operations in in Canada. Globally, as a global Thematic Champion for diversity with UN Women, De Beers in investing $3 million (US) in programs to support women in all of its producer companies.
Peters has worked at Snap Lake Mine since mid-2013 in the mine-based mine environment team. She now leads the entire site team in her new role as Superintendent of Asset & Environment, overseeing the extended care and maintenance at Snap Lake.
“Working with a highly competent team and excellent leadership support made the transition to my new role very easy,” she said. “It’s important to create an environment in which everyone can equally bring his or her talent, skill and energy with no reservation and no barriers. Only when diversity is pursued and embraced can it enrich the outcomes of decisions and solutions within the company.”
One of the presenters, Sarah McLean, Regulatory Specialist with De Beers Canada, said women play important roles at De Beers, including approximately 60 women who work as geologists, engineers, environmental specialists and in other technical roles. About 20 per cent of the employees at De Beers Canada are women.
“In speaking with the students, I was able to draw upon current women working at Gahcho Kué as examples of how varied the work really is, whether you’re interested in STEM professions or others,” McLean said. She is pictured at left, above.
Megan Rodel, a mining engineer who works as Business Improvement Superintendent at Gahcho Kué Mine and who got her start in the industry through a specialized development program for university graduates offered by De Beers’ parent company, echoed McLean’s comments about the variety of opportunities available.
“There are many different types of engineering – and I wanted to take it to a site perspective and give the students a better understanding of what types of engineering can be found at a mine site.”
De Beers Canada also has a program that hires university graduates in a variety of technical roles to a three year program, Mine Professionals in Training. During the past two intakes into the program, 55% of participants have been women.
Peters said she is pleased to see De Beers taking a leadership role to improve workforce diversity, especially the number of women in leadership roles within the company and encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM fields.
“Being part of this event made me feel proud to be part of De Beers and what it stands for,” said Peters. “I had the chance to talk to students who were eager to find out about careers in mining, and they said they were grateful for the chance to hear about the many different careers in STEM that could be close to home.”
The luncheon is just the start of a program focused on increasing diversity across the company.
“We will be doing more of this,” said Allan Rodel, General Manager of Gahcho Kué Mine and head of De Beers Canada’s Gender Diversity and Inclusion team. “The presenters had the entire audience engaged and the girls and teachers left the event with a great idea of what is possible.”