Last week, 32 students in the Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates (J4NG) program at Tonopah High School spent the day learning about career opportunities at Kinross Nevada, a global gold mining company with mines and projects in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, Mauritania and Russia. The Kinross Nevada mine is located in Round Mountain, about 50 miles north of Tonopah.
J4NG is a statewide education nonprofit organization and workforce readiness program that aims for students to graduate high school and be college and career ready. As part of the program, students are given the chance to explore endless career opportunities, including those available in Nevada’s diverse economy.
Last Wednesday, students met several working professionals at Kinross, who shared insight on the diverse job options available at the mine including nursing, drone pilots, IT professionals and more.
“Nevada’s youth have bright futures ahead and here at Kinross, we hope to inspire up-and-coming professionals across the state to explore the many opportunities available in the mining industry,” said Neil Jensen, VP and General Manager Kinross Nevada. “Students can land stable careers with great benefits, pay, and opportunities for growth, regardless of education level. We were excited to allow J4NG students to tour the facility and meet some of our staff to educate them on various career opportunities we offer and the steps you need to take to get there.”
The students toured the Kinross mine, visited the machine shop, the warehouse, and the overlook. Throughout the tour, students were educated on the training needed to work in certain positions, as well as the day-to-day activities required of the staff. This hands-on educational field trip inspired students to learn more about the careers they can work towards after graduation. Whether it be a 4-year degree to work in an IT role or a certification process to become a drone pilot, students were inspired to discover well paying and qualified job opportunities located just an hour from where they live.
“I learned tons on the field trip– like how they process gold,” said senior student Richard Bleasdell. “I also got to see large tracks, learned about physics, and got to see a huge pit, which was cool. I am quite interested in this as a potential job.”
Another student remarked, “I learned a lot of things about the Kinross Gold Mine. This is a definite future career field for me,” said senior Steven Sorensen.
Jobs for Nevada’s Graduates currently serves more than 3,300 students in 60 schools across the state. Part of the national organization, Jobs for America’s Graduate (JAG), J4NG was created by the state of Nevada to help Nevada’s most historically underserved students to graduate and find a career pathway.