3 September 2015
(September 3, 2015) Prospecting courses will be offered in three NWT communities this fall, building on the interest and success of a course delivered last year in Yellowknife. The Introduction to Prospecting course will be offered in Behchok??, Dettah and Yellowknife in later September and early October. The 2-day course will be taught in the classroom and in the field. Course participants will learn prospecting skills including basic and NWT geology, staking claims, bush navigation and safety, sampling, and regulatory information. Jessica Bjorkman, a well-known Canadian prospector, is the Course Director. She will be assisted by a number of professional geologists from industry and government.
Searching for valuable minerals is as old as time, and northerners have used copper, lead, flint and other rocks over the millennia. More recently, prospectors helped discover gold at Yellowknife in the 1930s, and diamonds at Lac de Gras in the 1990s, both critically important in building the foundation of the NWT’s current economy. Prospectors have helped make the NWT mining industry what it is today, the largest sector of the economy. Unfortunately, many of our prospectors have retired or passed on. We have lost many sharp eyes exploring the land, and it’s time to rebuild our prospecting expertise. This introductory course, along with funding assistance for licensed prospectors under the GNWT’s Mining Incentive Program, are part of a partnership between Aboriginal groups, industry, government and not-for-profits to rebuild prospecting capacity in the NWT and to increase stakeholder awareness of prospecting’s vital role in the NWT’s economy.
The course will be of interest to those looking to become part of the mineral exploration industry, and will offer them a basic understanding of the search for valuable minerals. It will also be of interest to others employed in government, Aboriginal, environmental or regulatory sectors, as it will provide important context and knowledge that applies to their work responsibilities.
The course will be offered in Yellowknife on September 26-27; to Tlicho beneficiaries in Behchok?? on September 29-30; and to Yellowknives Dene beneficiaries in Dettah on October 3-4, 2015. Participants are responsible for their own lunch and must dress for the outdoors. Classes are limited to 30 students. To learn more and to register for the course in Yellowknife or Dettah or Behchoko contact the NWT Mine Training Society at Tel: (867) 765-0445, or email: mts@minetraining.ca.
The Introduction to Prospecting Course is a partnership between the Tlicho Government, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, the Government of the Northwest Territories – Industry Tourism & Investment and Education, Culture & Employment, Aurora Geosciences, TerraX Minerals Inc., NWT & Nunavut Chamber of Mines, NWT Mine Training Society and Skills Canada NWT. For more information on the NWT and Nunavut mining industries, please visit the website at www.miningnorth.com or contact Tom Hoefer, Executive Director at Tel: 867-873-5281 or email: executivedirector@miningnorth.com.