Historic Hailebury School of Mines spreads wings.

The Haileybury School of Mines (HSM) has branched out far beyond the educational needs of its own backyard.

Prompted to meet the demands for educated workers during the Cobalt mining boom, it first opened its doors in 1912. Hailed as the only mining school in Ontario, its faculty now shares their expertise well beyond Canadian borders.

The potential to partner with the Republic of Angola in West Africa and set up a mining school is on the table. The three-way partnership between the HSM (an affiliate of Northern College), the University of Guelph and the Angolan Department of Mines and its respective industries is a unique project.

Peter MacLean, executive regional director of the school, says Angola is coming out of a civil war and wants to improve its economic development.

Angola has a population of between 12 and 14 million people and a density of 11 people per square kilometre, 64 per cent live in rural areas, where the majority live off of subsistence farming. MacLean says the farming is not meeting its potential, yet the country is rich in agrominerals, such as lime, pyrites, sulfur, phosphates and gypsum.

Ultimately, the goal is to combine the knowledges of HSM's mining and Guelph's agricultural programs to set up mines, extract minerals and use the substances on the land to yield more crops. The long-term goals are to feed all of the people in the country, create an export market, and improve the economic development.

Co-ordinator of the mining program in Haileybury Pat Hamilton says with a country that has three growing seasons, it is not an unrealistic expectation, but "it does take time to train people and get infrastructure in order."

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The Angolan Ambassador, Miguel Maria N'Zua Puna, visited the Haileybury campus in late August. MacLean says Puna's response was very positive, and that Angola wants a representative from HSM to visit their country before the end of October to discuss the project.

"Angola has tremendous potential, both minerally and agriculturally," he says. "This will help them realize that potential."

The school is also involved is the rehabilitation of the Jos School of Mines in Nigeria. As a leader in mining education, the HMS will play an important role in revitalizing and updating Nigeria's school's curriculum, faculty, and relationships between its diamond mining industry and its Jos mining school.

The HSM has actively participated in many other global projects, spreading its knowledge from Chile to China.

A recent articulation agreement was signed with the South Dakota School of Mines, which grants HSM grads full credit for the first two years of the four-year degree program in either geology or mining metallurgy.

Although mining industries all over the world seek out assistance from the HSM, student enrolment has declined over the past few years.

"In an industry that is crying for people to fill jobs, there are not many people in Canada coming through the front," MacLean says. "It's perceived to be dangerous and dirty, when perhaps it is neither."

Professor and co-ordinator of the Instrumentation program Brian Dobbs says when the mining industry is going well, the program operates inversely proportional to the economy.

"When there's lots of work, people don't tend to attend school," he says.

Prior to last year, the school ran a co-op program for about 10 years. Now, it is a two-year program, with a strong focus on application.

Dobbs says 50 percent of the students' work is hands-on, and "for employers, the graduates are ready to go."

With a long-standing history for producing quality students worldwide, Hamilton says 100 percent of the mining school's graduates are employed just prior to graduation with a choice of jobs around the globe.

"They are usually employed in high-level positions to begin with," Hamilton says.

The school also offers a variety of programs, such as the school of veterinary medicine, nursing, police foundations and business programs. It is no long exclusively for mining.

MacLean sees the school changing from a mining school to a successful community college. He says mining is going through some tough times, despite extensive opportunities in the field and the demand for qualified people.

Dobbs says the school is changing to accommodate industry, by offering shorter, modular training sessions and more online courses.

www.northernc.on.ca/haileybury

By ADELLE LARMOUR

Northern Ontario Business