Sudbury's Cambrian College to train mining mechanics on how to work on electric vehicles

Sudbury's Cambrian College will train heavy equipment mechanics in the mining industry on how to work on electric vehicles.

TD Bank is contributing $150,000 tosupport the northern Ontario college's Battery Electric Vehicle Training Program, and provide the equipment and training assets for workersto upgrade their skills.

As with the automotive industry, the mining sector has seen a recent transition to more electric vehicles, phasing outdiesel vehicles that have been used underground for decades.

Steve Gravel, manager of Cambrian's Centre for Smart Mining, said it was the industry that approached the college to provide the new training program.

"They've come to us and said, 'Look, we're seeing a skills gap developing,'" Gravel said.

The eight-day course will be available to heavy equipment mechanics who are alreadyin the mining industry.

Emphasis on safety

Gravel said a big part of the training is focused on safety.

"We spend a good amount of the course talking about how to interact with high voltage and when to call an electrician," he said. "There is a greater fire risk with some battery technologies, and that's something that the industry is coming to terms with."

Cambrian has partnered with MacLean Engineering, a company that designs and builds underground mining equipment, to provide the training. The company has an underground test mine in Sudbury where students can train on their equipment.

"It's really pivotal in the transition, because you can build and manufacture the equipment, but getting operator adoption and helping the mines transition over safely is a conversation that really wasn't occurring at the same time as the technology development and the adoption," said Stella Holloway, MacLean Engineering's vice-president of northern Ontario operations, in a newsrelease.

While the program is limited to professional development for now, Gravel said some of the content will make its way into Cambrian's automotive and heavy duty mechanic programs.