A work in progress: First Nations prepare for the mining boom.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: THUNDER BAY

Charlotte Tookenay is the new face of the mining industry.

The mother of two teenagers, a graduate of the Mining Essentials training program for Aboriginal people run through Confederation College, is part of an industry push to employ more First Nations people to replenish its workforce ranks.

At the Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund's Mining Ready Summit in Thunder Bay in October, she presented the 200 delegates with a video montage of photographs during her 12-week time in the program last summer.

Tookenay graduated from the program last June and landed a job with Barrick Gold at its Hemlo complex, not far from her home community, the Pic Mobert First Nation on the north shore of Lake Superior.

She was spurred into making a career change out of sheer necessity.

"Mobert has so little employment and job opportunities," said Tookenay, who worked on highway construction jobs and as a Native language teacher.

The economic development officer knew I was interested in looking for full-time employment.

Tookenay applied and was accepted to the program which is administered by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council, the Anishinabek Employment and Training Services and the Assembly of First Nations.

The program had graduated 23 as of November 2010.

With mining companies having difficulty tilling their ranks as mines develop, expand and its older workers nearing retirement, the industry is increasingly looking to Aboriginal communites which are located in close proximity to these mineral properties.

A sizeable Aboriginal contingent already works at Hemlo, including Tookenay's brother and sister.

The course gives participants a snapshot of every kind of job available by allowing them to job shadow at training sites like Barrick-Hemlo and North American Palladium's Lac des Iles Mine.

"We learned a lot from there and the instructor we got was magnificent," said Tookenay. "We couldn't throw a question at him that he didn't know. It was definitely educational."

Going underground wasn't the least bit confining or intimidating for her.

Actually, I loved it. I like the challenge and I'm encouraged more because people now are totally surprised because I'm a woman and I go underground and work the majority of the time by myself.

Tookenay works as a level service provider with a production crew shuttling items to various levels in the mine. She'll be training to drive three types of vehicles.

I was cleaning (conveyor) belts and that entailed a lot of...