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The first two NWT members of De Beers’ Mine Professionals in Training Program (MPiT) are working to become the next generation of Northern mining professionals.
 
Wesley Lines and Aimee Gauthier were among the five MPiTs hired into the program earlier this year, bringing the number of participants in the program to 26. Through the program, graduates from a number of mining-related fields gain experience in surface and underground mining roles.

The opportunity to gain a broad range of experience was the reason Lines, a Yellowknife resident and member of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, applied for the program.

Wesley graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. “Every day I’m learning more about electrical engineering and mining,” said Lines in an interview from Snap Lake where is working. “I’ve enjoyed going into the field to see and understand the mine’s electrical systems first hand.”

Aimee Gauthier, also from Yellowknife, is a Queen’s University graduate who is working in technical services at Victor Mine in Northern Ontario.

“I didn’t have any family working in the mining industry, so this was something I didn’t realize until De Beers’ presence was growing in Yellowknife,” Aimee said. “At the time I was volunteering a lot with YK Food Rescue, a group that was trying to re-route food from landfills and deliver it to people in need. They received generous support from De Beers and I saw firsthand the impact it had on families.”

Aimee enjoys learning about the strategies and reasoning behind production decisions, and understanding how business targets affect the day-to-day operations.

“It is neat that the company that originally made me start noticing the good things that the mining industry can do is who I've ended up working for years later,” Aimee said.

"This is the third year of the program and shows our continued commitment to recruiting and developing technical people capable of taking on the many different roles at our northern mines," said Leo Fusciardi, Head of Technical for De Beers in Canada. “All of this year’s candidates were hired by De Beers because they are among the best graduates in their respective fields.”

Both Wesley and Aimee are also past recipients of scholarships from De Beers’ NWT Post-Secondary Scholarship Program.

Other MPiT program participants hired this year are:

Kristen Sperduti, Geological Engineering – Barrie, Ontario
Henrique Coppini, Metallurgical/Mineral Engineering – Sao Paulo, Brazil
Renee Desmarais, Mechanical Engineering – Sudbury, Ontario