Cominco’s Red Dog to employ up to 350

When Cominco’s Red Dog mine reaches full production in the early 1990s it will provide jobs for about 300 to 350 people, according to Orbit, Cominco’s in-house publication.

Although initial production is still about two years away, Cominco Alaska and nana Regional Corp., a native organization, have begun training potential employees from residents of the nana Region.

Major construction began this summer and a number of residents in the region obtained some of the construction jobs. These people are now gaining operating experience on heavy equipment including large trucks which will be used when production begins. Both the road contractor and the mine site contractor have developed training programs that will give some additional on-the-job training to 6 nana residents, says Cominco.

In addition to heavy equipment operators, Red Dog will need mechanics, electricians, maintenance workers and other skilled, professional and clerical people. Over the next two and a half years, residents of the nana region will be completing training programs offered by Cominco and nana through the Alaska Vocational Technical Centre in Seward, about 165 km south of Anchorage and at the Kotzebue Technical Centre. Courses are being designed specifically with Red Dog in mind.

Local people will have the opportunity to receive training so they can get a job at Red Dog. Training in welding procedures began last fall and in diesel and heavy equipment mechanics. In the spring, it will be expanded to include a program to train electricians.

Construction of the 87-km road from the port to the mine site has involved crews working 24-hour days to meet their schedule of 30 metres per hour. Their goal is to reach Red Dog by Feb 1.