The Northern Miner awards scholarship to mining engineering student

Young Mining Professionals (YMP) — a registered charity that donates 100% of its receipts to students — has awarded 10 scholarships this year ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 to students who are pursuing a career in the mining industry and are enrolled in mining-related programs for the 2019–2020 academic year at universities in Canada. This year’s winner of The Northern Miner’s $5,000 scholarship is Tyler Sieben, a student in his final year of mining engineering at the University of Alberta. The award is granted to a student with the best vision for the future, and the winner’s essay — which outlines the opportunities and challenges the mining industry will face over the next 50 years — is published in the newspaper.   

Tyler contributes to the mining community through volunteer roles with the University of Alberta Mining Club, the Mining Industry Advisory Committee and the Canadian Mining Games. His first jobs in the industry were in Alberta, where he operated ultra-class haul trucks at Syncrude’s Mildred Lake mine, and more recently, provided engineering support to projects at Suncor’s Millennium mine, including survey volume reconciliation, technical design of mine structures (i.e., buttresses, ramps and well-pads), and providing technical support for a drone survey program.

“Mining is hard, but that’s why I chose to make a career out of it,” he tells The Northern Miner. “While others may view mining with uncertainty, I see it as an industry full of opportunity. I’m excited to utilize cutting-edge technology to tackle some of the world’s most complex deposits to provide the resources required for society to continue to flourish. While considering shareholders and community members, I aim to leave a lasting positive impression on the projects I am involved with throughout my career.” Below is an edited version of Tyler’s essay.

Automation and technology advancement in mining is a topic that excites engineers and mine stakeholders with the allure of increased efficiencies and cost savings. Examples can be seen through the implementation of autonomous equipment in mines over the previous decade. Early adopters are not only seeing productivity savings, but labour savings and lower hazard-exposure hours. Furthermore, with technological developments such as artificial intelligence accelerating the pace of automation, the mine of the future is certainly only a few years away. Given the rate of change in the mining industry, the traditional career-development model is becoming outdated. Technology-aligned career progression is a concept intended to help workers transition from traditional jobs to knowledge- and data-driven positions. Its purpose is to provide assurance mining positions have a place in the future, and illustrate what career transitions may look like as jobs become increasingly automated.

Living in a limitless world with limited resources, the ability to mine more efficiently and safely is a welcome prospect for environmentalists and miners alike. But not everyone shares this enthusiasm. Frontline workers — including equipment operators — are often the jobs most susceptible to automation. This can cause anxiety amongst workers, especially when a company is observed experimenting with automation. The unease can lead to opposition towards new technology by workers and community stakeholders. An extreme comparison is the Luddite movement from 1811–1816, where British textile workers deliberately sabotaged industrial machines because they feared the efficiency of the machines would make their craftsmanship irrelevant. Looking back, we now understand the rise of industrialism created opportunities for individuals to upskill into more meaningful roles, but at the time, this was a serious threat to workers’ livelihoods. This illustrates potential disdain for automation in the mining industry. Action now could help automation proceed as a positive experience for those involved.

Technology-aligned career progression could provide employees a career map showing the transformation of employment with technological advancement. This would assure employees their contributions are valued and that they will remain employed, despite technologically driven changes in mining. Perceived job insecurity can be addressed through efforts to transparently map the evolution of workers from current positions to positions of the future. This begins with a high-level overview of the forecasted labour force over the life-of-mine, and how it changes in correlation to technology adoption. From this overview, employment trends can be highlighted and skills can be identified for development in the workforce. Using these methods, companies could trace the career transition of a surveyor to a drone operator, or a shovel operator to a shovel planner. This improves on traditional career-mapping concepts because it takes into account transformations in technology and industry. Communication tools like this will be essential for mining companies to keep social licence as automation continues to be a concern for public stakeholders. A changing career landscape is stressful for workers who may feel like their livelihoods are at risk. However, by showing empathy and providing a way for people to participate in the future, these challenges can be mitigated.

Tyler Sieben | The Northern Miner Scholarship winner