Local mining company invests in the community’s most precious resource: Its youth
Modern gold mining involves an understanding between the miners and the land they work on. In exchange for the valuable mineral the humans are extracting, the mining company agrees to be responsible stewards of the site and surrounding area, safeguarding wildlife, flora, and waterways and securing a sustainable environment — even long after the mining stops.
Kinross Gold Corporation, one of the largest gold mining operations in the world with six active mines on three continents, feels the same responsibility extends to being caretakers of the communities in which they operate. That includes cultivating the land’s most valuable natural resource: Its youth.
For instance, Kinross has two open-pit mines in Nevada, Bald Mountain and Round Mountain, both of which serve the surrounding towns as employer, taxpayer, vendor, and corporate citizen. The company also prioritizes working with local schools to support and educate students of all ages.
One of the most tangible benefits Kinross provides for students is the opportunity to learn a trade and use it to build a stable career.
“These kids are growing up in an environment where they see successful parents at any education level enjoying the rural lifestyle,” says Kemp. “As a country, we’ve stopped teaching the trades. We can’t find diesel mechanics or electricians. That’s why we’re working with schools to get students focused on the trades and let them know that you don’t have to go to college and get a four-year degree to be successful.”
Broadening Horizons
Kinross accomplishes this through scholarships to trade schools, sponsorships of students by paying tuition, providing an allowance to buy tools, and paid three-month summer internships. At Bald Mountain, they offer the Maintenance Training Cooperative (MTC), which sponsors students in diesel, electrical systems, industrial millwright, instrumentation, and welding for a one-year program of school and on-the-job training.
Statewide, Kinross also works with JAG Nevada (Jobs for Nevada Graduates) through the Workforce Pathways Program to assist high-school grads in getting skills training through apprenticeships, accreditation programs, or post-secondary education.
Kinross’s commitment to the trades goes far beyond just corporate sponsorship. Throughout the school year, classes are invited to the mines for guided tours. Kinross employees also visit the classroom, talking about modern mining, their specific roles, and how they acquired those skills. In some instances, the visiting miners do more than just speak.
“Our welding teacher left,” says Larsen. “That class was the reason some kids were coming to school at all. Two gentlemen came down from the mine every week, being paid by Kinross to teach on their days off, to keep our welding program going. It was important enough to these men that they gave their personal time. That’s the community we have.”
By StoryStudio on October 21, 2024
Giving back to the community
In addition to helping local students improve their futures, Kinross also commits itself to improving their present.
For instance, in Nevada, Kinross has funded fishing trips for students to Washoe County, where, with help from Trout Unlimited, the mine restored parts of Walker River and created a haven for trout. In Round Mountain schools, Kinross has also used its financial resources to design and equip a new weight room for student athletes and pay for travel for sports teams.
“That’s the unique thing about these mining communities; there’s such a connection between the community and the work,” says Joseph Kemp, vice president of Kinross Nevada. “The two lines come together quite a bit. We’ve got third-generation mining families, and it’s what the community knows.”
Even so, Kemp says that the children of these mining families may not understand all the ways in which mining can impact their lives and futures. That’s why Kinross has invested heavily in area schools, not only through educational programs, scholarships, and internships, but also through community service, financial support, and volunteerism in areas that have nothing directly to do with mining gold.
“Kinross has gone above and beyond to be a part of this community and get the kids involved,” says Kenndra Larsen, athletic director, coach, and teacher at Round Mountain High School. “I went to school here myself, and it has meant the world to me to see their support.”
That class was the reason some kids were coming to school at all. Two gentlemen came down from the mine every week, being paid by Kinross to teach on their days off, to keep our welding program going. It was important enough to these men that they gave their personal time. That’s the community we have.
Kinross tradespeople aren’t the only employees coming to the schools to discuss their careers. Modern gold mining incorporates a vast array of skills across different fields, interests, and education levels.
“Sometimes students think the miners just have a shovel digging up dirt,” says Larsen. “Kinross has everything from environmental geologists and accountants coming into the classroom and telling the kids about the aspects of what they do.”
“American mining can use any background and skill set,” says Kemp, “from diesel mechanics to nurses to metallurgists to psychologists. A lot of kids might think the only way they can work in computers is if they go to Silicon Valley. There’s another path here that pays just as well or even better, and you can travel the world. If you want to fly drones, or go into computer science, or take up engineering, mining has a space for you.”
“Being such a rural community, we have a long way to go for away games, sometimes 300 miles one way,” says Larsen. “Kinross donates money for hotel rooms, so it doesn’t cost the kids or their families.”
Kinross also paid for a Round Mountain alum to come back and paint a mural in the school gymnasium.
The mine supplies more than just money — it also donates its time. It puts on events in the community, sending senior-level employees to restore a school playground or teach gardening skills in landscaping projects. It also enlists students to help in community service projects, like weeding around the school, painting, replacing a deck or sprinkler system, or even having older kids read to elementary students.
“Their support really has meant so much … I can’t put it into words,” says Larsen. “It’s really amazing."