The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.
Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mines will be well-positioned to capitalize on the fact 40% of Canadian mining employees are due to retire in the next few years. The industry will be looking to recruit 60,000 to 100,000 people, many with university degrees, to fill the gap left by retiring Baby Boomers.
Laurentian president Dominic Giroux said the Goodman School of Mines won’t be a mining research institute because those already exist in Sudbury and they’re doing excellent work.
The school will instead educate students in engineering and earth sciences, and provide executive and management training for graduates and people now in the mining workforce.
Giroux spoke to about 140 people in mining and miningrelated businesses and institutions Tuesday morning at the annual general meeting of the Sudbury Area Mining Supply and Ser vices Association (SAMSSA).
The university president said the idea for the school originated from a conversation with SAMSSA executive director Dick DeStefano, and its focus came from businesses such as those attending the meeting at College Boreal.
After talking with members, Giroux heard while they appreciate the technical skills of Laurentian engineering and earth sciences graduates, they need graduates with executive and management training to help run their companies.
The creation of the Goodman School of Mines was announced by Giroux in late October after the president and chief executive officer of the Dundee Capital Markets Inc., Ned Goodman, announced a multi-million dollar endowment to create the school.
Laurentian University’s two-page strategic plan spells out its commitment to excel in mineral exploration and mining, and other areas, said Giroux.
The $1 million a year from the Goodman endowment and $500,000 from Laurentian’s budget will go “simply to support the training needs of our current and graduate students, but also the needs of industry,” said Giroux.
It can do this to start without offering “one single additional course,” instead building upon the strength of the university’s 500 engineering and 130 earth sciences students.
For the rest of this article, please go to the Sudbury Star website: http://www.thesudburystar.com/2012/12/05/lu-poised-to-supply-industry