Closing the gap: IMII issues diversity and inclusion challenge
The International Mineral Innovation Institute (IMII) has issued a challenge that may change the face of the mining industry. The Diversity and Inclusion Challenge Program is providing $1 million to projects that will address the mineral industry’s diversity and inclusion needs.
“IMII is meant to be an innovation institute, and we thought we should support innovation not just in technology but in our practices,” said Al Shpyth, IMII Executive Director. “These open innovation challenges are more often than not done around technology, so we thought it should be something we should try on the education and training front as well.”
The challenge is meant to address four critical areas:
Improving access to employment ■ opportunities with contractors and suppliers to the minerals sector for Indigenous peoples;
Creating new opportunities ■ for Indigenous peoples in the minerals sector workforce;
Promoting mining careers to ■ young women by connecting earlier in the talent pipeline;
Increasing the number of ■ women in key occupations in the minerals sector.
On May 2, IMII released a call-out for proposals, and by the deadline of June 9, they had received 26 preliminary projects. Nine have been shortlisted, which industry members are now reviewing, with recommendations for final choices brought to the board in December. Projects can receive a maximum of $250,000 in funding.
Applicants put forth ideas like career and industry awareness, support systems for education and employment, and new ways to encourage more Indigenous people and women to enter mining related programs or occupations.
Many of the proposals are education-based in part because there are still misconceptions about the mining industry in the province, said Shypth.
“There are people out there who perhaps even still think mining is about swinging a pickaxe underground. People aren’t necessarily aware of what really are mining related occupations… Some are in technology, many are degreed, and a wide range of skill sets can be applicable.”
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are often the first areas of expertise people connect to the mining industry, but a Mining Industry Human Resources Council study reported there are actually more than 70 different occupations mapped to mining.
Shypth is also hopeful the challenge will bring to light new ways to approach learning and training in the industry. Is the training reflective of how people want to learn? Are there ways to make the curriculum more appropriate? More engaging?
“There are traditional approaches to science that are not at all in conflict with stereotypical western approaches, but we don’t always do a good job of bringing them together. If we can bring them together, we’re more likely to engage Indigenous people in scientific occupations.”
The IMII membership is made up of top industry companies, and Shypth said to meet their workforce needs looking forward, they’re going to have to successfully engage with Indigenous people and women. More women are graduating from post-secondary education institutions than men now, and Saskatchewan is expected to see a surge in the number of working-age Indigenous people in the coming decades.
“Young Indigenous people will have skills, will be educated, and we’re not the only industry looking to engage them,” Shypth said. “If we want our fair share of the talent in those communities, we’ll have to constantly be taking steps to be making sure we are competitive when it comes to recruitment and retention.”
Staying competitive in hiring is vitally important in any industry, and from a human resources perspective, hiring more women and Indigenous people widens the potential pool of candidates available. Plus, improving the diversity of a workforce can strengthen both the company and the community where it’s located.
“The more diverse and inclusive your workforce is, the more likely it is to be innovative,” Shypth said. “The more it reflects the community in which it’s situated, the more likely you are to have community support.”
Shypth said IMII members are all developing their own strategies for creating more diverse and inclusive workforces, but they recognized that they can do more together, which is one of the reasons why this challenge arose.
“They came together and recognized that… no matter what an individual company does, they won’t be able to overcome those barriers or challenges, but if we do it together, we’re more likely to succeed.”
There is also the potential for the challenge to create inroads and innovations beyond the borders of the minerals industry.
“Because it’s an open innovation challenge, we will share the knowledge and practices that come out of this,” Shypth said. “We want to show people if you do things different you can get different and better outcomes. This isn’t about us holding this information, but to share the results so that others who want to take action see there are new ways of doing things.”