New Start and New Skills for Aboriginal Student at Northwest Community College

Three years ago, Aaron McMillan of Gitaus (Kitselas) near Terrace, BC, decided he was tired of unreliable seasonal work. Inspired by employment opportunities in Northern BC’s mining industry, he decided to return to school. In the summer of 2007, McMillan, a father to three girls, completed a two-month-long Reclamation and Prospecting (RAP) program at Northwest Community College’s School of Exploration & Mining. The NWCC RAP program was designed to train and prepare First Nations students to work in the exploration and mining industry. Participants lived and learned in the same bush camp conditions they could expect to experience when they worked in the industry. One year after the first RAP program, 85% of the First Nations graduates were employed. Within days of McMillan graduating, the resource exploration and development company TTM Resources Inc hired him as a geotechnician.  “I started working two weeks after I finished the program,” McMillan says. “TTM started me off splitting drill core samples but over time, I was promoted and had all kinds of responsibilities.” The successful student attributes his experiences at NWCC’s School of Exploration & Mining for many of his accomplishments in his new career. “Employers like it when new workers have some training,” he says. “A lot of the skills I learned in the course, I use on the job. They’ve really come in handy.” In October 2010, McMillan started a new job with junior mining company Richfield Ventures. He’s now working as a geotechnician in an exploration camp about 150 kilometres south of Vanderhoof. “I’m always keeping my eyes and ears open. I look for opportunities to learn so I can advance in my career,” he says. For more information on Northwest Community College's RAP Program click here.