Ontario Mining Association member Goldcorp’s Red Lake mine has received the 2010 Passport to Prosperity Employer Champion Award in recognition of its initiatives to provide innovative learning programs for high school students in the community. For the past 25 years, the mine has provided local area teenagers with the opportunity to participate in job shadowing, mentoring and career development programs at the mine site.

These activities have given high school students the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the mining industry and the broad range of career options it provides through learning beyond the classroom.

The Employer Champion Award is presented to employers in Ontario for their contributions to, and support for, high school co-op programs. Goldcorp’s Red Lake mine received this honour for providing experimental learning opportunities for numerous students from the Red Lake District High School over many years. The award was created 10 years ago to recognise employers who make significant contributions to fostering the next generation of skilled and talented workers.

“We are pleased to receive this prestigious recognition,” said Mike Lalonde, Mine General Manager at Goldcorp’s Red Lake gold mine. “We have supported the co-operative education placements with the local high school for many years and the commitment from our staff and the local high school to make these placements a learning experience for students has paid off. Co-operative placements are a win-win for both the company and the students and we look forward to continuing our relationship with the Red Lake District High School in the future.”

More than 26,000 employers are involved in the Passport to Prosperity program. The Passport to Prosperity is led by the Provincial Partnership Council. It works with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities and the Ontario Business Education Partnership, which represents business-education councils and local training boards.

Goldcorp’s Red Lake mine has about 900 employees and 300 contractors at its operations. Red Lake, Ontario, is located near the Manitoba border 535 km northwest of Thunder Bay. The population of Red Lake and neigbouring communities is about 5,000.

Miners and mining companies are responsible, solution-providing partners in society. They do more than find, extract and process minerals essential to our modern lifestyle. These companies are economic enterprises operated by men and women who are members of society and community builders. As volunteers and donors, they add great value to the quality of life in their communities and beyond.