Nevada mining school awarded another US$503K to educate new generation

At the GBC-NORCAT Mine Skills Training facility in Elko, Nevada. Photo credit: Jason Bubba

Mining

Nevada mining school awarded another US$503K to educate new generation

The sum builds on US$1.1 million received last year through the Workforce Innovations for a New Nevada fund

Rowan Dunne

Published

9 hours ago

An Elko mining skills training centre has been receiving government backing to continue producing skilled workers for the state’s metals and minerals sector. It is one of the world’s most abundant and advanced.

Following the launch of Great Basin College’s Mine Skills Training facility in 2024 with a US$1.1-million-dollar contribution, the Nevada institute has obtained an additional US$502,000. The Governor’s Office of Economic Development has provided the latest funding through a newly approved amount coming out of the Workforce Innovations for a New Nevada fund.

Through this initiative, the state government has committed over US$17 million to support training programs that will benefit Nevada’s mining industry.

“This funding will strengthen our ability to provide innovative, hands-on training that meets the workforce needs of Nevada’s mining and lithium industries,” said Great Basin College President, Amber Donnelli.

She welcomed students back for the fall semester at a campus event last week.

The Mine Skills Training facility features state-of-the-art virtual reality and augmented reality programs to prepare students for life on site. It also teaches courses on confined space, working at heights, hoisting and rigging, and an assortment of useful industry fundamentals. The school’s aim is to help fill over 1,200 vacant positions in the state’s resource extraction sector.

“This support has made it possible to bring standardized training and modern learning technologies to the Nevada critical minerals industry,” NORCAT Chief Operating Officer, Jason Bubba, said last month, “where we are helping to develop a safe and skilled workforce.”

NORCAT is Great Basin College’s official partner at the facility. The non-profit tech innovation company is known for having an experiential training site at an underground mine in Sudbury, Ontario. It enables companies to develop, test and show off their equipment in a real-world scenario. NORCAT also recently set up a a VR “Motion Capture” training studio in the small Ontario city.

Mining currently contributes over US$11 billion to Nevada’s economy per annum while supporting more than 25,000 jobs. Gold and lithium are a key focus in the state’s industry. Also, antimony.

In addition to the new mining education complex, Great Basin College hosts the Nevada Gold Mines Welding Technology Lab — a facility that opened its doors last year thanks to contributions from the world’s leading gold miner. Nevada Gold Mines produces millions of gold ounces from a robust portfolio of underground and open pit operations in the state every year.