Training & Education

The Pebble Partnership continues with workforce development initiatives to ensure that Bristol Bay residents benefit to the greatest degree possible from the Pebble Project, both now and in the future. These efforts include on-the-job training programs to help current employees develop and upgrade their work skills. On-site training programs are focused on employee heath and safety, and are also designed to help employees understand all aspects of the mine development process.

The Pebble Partnership recognizes that young people in the region must possess the required knowledge and skills if they are to fully participate in the potential opportunities that Pebble could offer in the years ahead. To encourage this process, The Pebble Partnership supports local and state-wide training opportunities and educational programs to encourage young people to pursue careers in science, engineering, mining and resource development.

Highlights of recent efforts in the area of training and education include:

• The Pebble Partnership is expanding its scholarship donations to include the Bristol Bay Native Corporation, Lake and Peninsula School District, Southwest Regional School District, and the Bristol Bay and Dillingham School Districts.
• The Pebble Partnership has developed and continues to distribute two booklets, "Mining Careers" and "Introduction to Mining," to help Alaskans understand the mining industry and associated career opportunities.
• The Pebble Partnership is a major supporter of AMEREF (Alaska Mineral and Energy Resource Education Fund), a program that provides elementary schools with kits and educational models about resource development, and encourages the distribution of these kits to schools in the region.
• For the third year, The Pebble Partnership is working in association with the University of Alaska to bring ANSEP (Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program) to the Lake and Peninsula School District. This innovative program is designed to help Alaskan Native students prepare for and pursue careers in science and engineering.
• The Pebble Partnership participated in the pilot Teacher Externship Program funded by the Department of Labor in 2006 by hosting a number of teachers from the region at the project site, and is working with various other industry partners to make the training program self-sustaining.
• The Pebble Partnership is working with the Southwest Alaska Vocational Educational Centre (SAVEC), a training center in the project area, to provide courses in the future.