2014 Annual and CSR Report Switch to Spanish Language
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Local Hiring and Skills Development

We know from experience that local people are more likely to stay with the Company and live in the community long term – so the benefits grow over time, sustaining the community as much as it serves our company. Hudbay training supports the ability of people to find work that helps families, communities and economies thrive.

In Manitoba, we are a member of the Northern Manitoba Sector Council (NMSC), and we partner with the NMSC, Workplace Education Manitoba (WEM), University College of the North (UCN), Workplace Essential Skills Training (WEST) Centre and First Nations communities on training to support first steps in mining career paths. The primary focus is on recruiting local job candidates through community meetings and relationship building, and on providing basic industry and mining skills training so that candidates can succeed in their roles once they join Hudbay. Hudbay is also a strong supporter of the Northern Manitoba Mining Academy.

Within the land acquisition agreements with the communities of Uchucarco and Chilloroya, we committed to employing 800 to 1,100 local people each month during construction. We surpassed our commitment by an average of 32% during the peak period. We also signed agreements for scholarships to Peruvian universities to develop education and training programs, and partner with local technical institutes for semi-skilled trades and heavy equipment training. The intent is to help local people acquire skills through Hudbay-sponsored training programs and on-the-job experience so that they can apply for future jobs, either with our company or others in the region. See details below.

In Arizona, there is a wealth of mining skills in the area near the Rosemont project, which we are drawing on as the project progresses. Interestingly, some of the key members from the Constancia project team who are now working on the Rosemont project hail from Arizona and are enjoying being “back home”.

2014 Performance

  • In Manitoba, we hired 92 people for the Snow Lake and Reed operations, although we were unable to fully achieve our hiring objective at Snow Lake due to recruiting challenges. While many of our new hires were experienced operators and miners, we also hired entry-level employees who are completing a one-year training program that takes them from orientation and entry-level training to assignments in various parts of the mine before becoming full-fledged operators.
  • We collaborated with the Northern Manitoba Sector Council (NMSC), Workplace Education Manitoba (WEM), University College of the North (UCN), Workplace Essential Skills Training (WEST) Centre and Opaskwayak Cree Nation on the 16-week Introduction to Industry training program and are working on refinements to improve its future impact. Thirty-seven students participated in 2014.
  • The NMSC introduced a unique apprenticeship program for northern Manitoba Aboriginal candidates that will provide them with Red Seal trade certification. Over the course of four years, apprentices will spend two months of each year in in-class technical training and 10 months on the job. Hudbay will support the program by providing 10-month job placements. Of 200 applicants, 35 students began the program in 2014.
  • With the shift from construction to operations at Constancia, workforce requirements were reduced. Going forward, we expect to employ 313 people directly, and our mining contractor, Stracon GyM, will have about 400 people on-site. Most of the positions are in operations and logistics, and suited to the capabilities of local community members. We have put in place a number of programs to help them qualify:
    • An eight-month technical training program delivered by CETEMIN Institute equips people to work as operators in the crusher, tailings and mechanical maintenance areas. More than 175 people enrolled and some have since started to fill positions at Constancia. Seventeen were hired in the crusher area in December 2014.
    • We plan to hire 40 employees for housekeeping and kitchen help at the Constancia camp. Sixty people are participating in a four-month training program for these positions.
    • Twenty young people, including two women, participated in a three-month training program at Tescup, the Peruvian technical training organization, to work as mechanics at Constancia. Eleven passed the course and are doing paid internships with Stracon.
    • We collaborated with Stracon on a heavy truck training program that will start in 2015. There are about 20 250-tonne trucks at the site and operating them requires specialized training.
  • At the completion of Constancia construction, many community members returned to their traditional livelihoods of farming and ranching. We are providing training to help them generate stable income and improve long-term productivity. This included training more than 100 families on how to improve vegetable crop production so they can sell their fresh produce to our operations and in local markets. Although temporarily closed due to budget constraints, the Arizona Experimental Centre is an education and training centre built near the Constancia site to teach community members new technologies and practices in farming, pasture management and cattle breeding. The centre includes classrooms, laboratories and a plot of land for testing alternative crop and growing practices.
  • At Rosemont, we continued to support an internship program with San Miguel High School. The high school is located in Tucson’s economically depressed south side where 50% of adult residents do not have a high school education. At San Miguel, students take a full college preparatory course load while simultaneously holding internships in corporations and earning nearly 40% of their school tuition. Four of these students currently work at the Hudbay Arizona Business Unit offices.
  • The Arizona Business Unit continued to support the Department of Natural Resources at the University of Arizona through funding and a field laboratory that gives students an opportunity to perform work at our on-site test plots. The program has resulted in a number of master’s degrees, theses and papers, helping equip students with the credentials they need for their future careers.