Tag: Mining

Mining is a Growing Force in Alaska’s Economy

Mining is a growing force in Alaska’s economy, providing jobs for thousands of Alaskans and millions of dollars of personal income throughout Alaska. Alaska’s mining industry includes exploration, mine development, and mineral production. Alaska’s mines produce coal, gold, lead, silver, zinc, as well as construction materials, such as sand, gravel, and rock.

Each year Alaska Miners Association (AMA) commissions the McKinley Research Group  to research the economic impact of Mining in Alaska. Continued investments by the mining industry ensure Alaska’s continued economic growth.

Read the current Economic Impact Report for Mining in Alaska here.

Source: Alaska Miners Association.

Pogo loader donation benefits CTC diesel, heavy equipment program

Above: Students stand with university and Pogo Mine leaders in front of an underground loader that Pogo Mine donated to the UAF Community and Technical College Diesel and Heavy Equipment program. UAF photo by Eric Engman.

A donated underground loader from Northern Star Resources – Pogo Mine will let University of Alaska Fairbanks students train on the same modern equipment they are likely to encounter in their future jobs.

This loader is a perfect fit for students participating in our entry-level course introducing the true and heavy mechanics industry.

Ray Ludwig, UAF CTC advisor and assistant professor for the diesel and heavy equipment program

The Sandvik loader, valued at $85,000, made the 130-mile journey from the Pogo Mine to the program’s headquarters at the Hutchison Institute of Technology in Fairbanks in mid-April. More than a dozen students walked alongside the 52-ton loader as it crawled through the parking lot to the program’s garage.

Read the full article here.

Source: UAF news and information. Article by Marimian Grimes, UAF senior public information officer.

Kinross establishes new scholarship at record-breaking Blue & Gold event

Above: UAF Chancellor Dan White stands with Anna Atchison, Terence Watungwa and Brenna Schaake from Kinross Alaska at the Blue & Gold Celebration on Thursday, May 11, 2023. UAF photo by Eric Engman.

Donors at last week’s University of Alaska Fairbanks Blue & Gold Celebration contributed more than $435,000 in support of student scholarships.
 
The total includes a $350,000 gift from Kinross Alaska to establish the Kinross Alaska Future Leaders Endowed Scholarship. The endowment will provide up to four years of financial support for vocational and baccalaureate students who are historically underrepresented in the resource development industry.
 
It’s the first scholarship of its kind at UAF.

Read the full article here.

Source: UAF news and information. Article by Marimian Grimes, UAF senior public information officer.

Students go underground to find rock-steady jobs

Attendees at the MAPTS graduation ceremony on Nov. 21, 2022, ride in vehicles through the tunnels of the underground mine training center. UAF photo by Eric Engman.

The University of Alaska Fairbanks Mining and Petroleum Training Service (MAPTS) has conducted resource industry training and worker certification for 40 years. In addition to hard skills for underground and surface mine operations, MAPTS provides customized training for a variety of employers, agencies and industry partners. Graduates of the MAPTS program move into jobs at Alaska’s major mines, including Kinross in the Interior, Hecla Greens Creek Mine on Admiralty Island, and Coeur Alaska Kensington in the Southeast.

We know that this program changes lives.

William Bieber, MAPTS Executive Director

Over 400 miners have graduated from MAPTS’ underground mining program in the past decade. Many of whom went straight to work in one of Alaska’s Major mines, joining an industry with about 5,400 mining jobs.

Julie Stricker of UAF’s Cooperative Extension Service shares the story of MAPTS’ contributions to the state’s mining industry, the program’s impact on future miners, and new mining opportunities MAPTS can help seize.

Read the full story here.

Source: Julie Stricker, Public Information Officer, UAF Cooperative Extension Service

MAPTS gets grant to train workers for mine near Tetlin

Photo by: Eric Engman. Attendees get a tour of the facility during the MAPTS Graduation in the Mining and Petroleum Training Service Underground Mine Training Center off of the Alaska Highway outside Delta Junction Monday, November 21, 2022.

A $300,000 grant from the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development to the Mining and Petroleum Training Service will provide mining training for local residents at the MAPTS training center near Delta Junction. Read more here.

Source: University of Alaska News and Information