BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc. employs 900 people and operates Canada’s first diamond mine. Management is committed to building a sustainable Aboriginal and northern work force. Its Workplace Learning Program benefits all workers who wish to upgrade their skills.
Billiton is committed to hiring a large number of Aboriginal workers as part of its mining agreement with the territorial government. The company cannot screen out employee candidates on the basis of Essential Skills, given the limited supply of workers available at its remote Yellowknife site.
Billiton has invested in a training-on-the-job approach in order to continue mining diamonds while addressing Essential Skills challenges. The company ended up designing a dual-track production schedule to accommodate workers who were needed for front-line production on a given day and others who could be given release time to attend Essential Skills training.
Workers at the Ekati diamond mine site live, work, sleep and eat in close quarters with their co-workers in a remote, camp-style work environment for two to three weeks at a time. Shift work under these conditions can be very demanding and requires strong interpersonal communication and team skills.