NORCAT, the global leader in skilled labour training and development, has launched the Common Core Graduate Referral Program to help build Ontario's future mining workforce. This innovative program enables former graduates of NORCAT's Underground Hard Rock Miner Common Core program, completed between January 2015 and January 2022, to earn $250 for each prospective trainee they refer to the program. NORCAT's Underground Hard Rock Miner Common Core program has been instrumental in preparing and educating thousands of workers from around the world for successful careers in the mining industry.

As the only non-profit organization of its kind that owns an operating mine, the NORCAT Underground Centre, NORCAT offers integrated, hands-on, and practical training programs for both new and existing miners. NORCAT has also implemented technology-enabled blended learning programs like eLearning, virtual reality, and equipment simulation into their flagship Underground Hard Rock Common Core program. Ontario's mining sector employs over 27,000 workers, with the industry predicted to require over 47,000 mining jobs by 2026.

NORCAT's Common Core Graduate Referral Program aims to address this labor shortage by providing incentives for current miners and mine workers to refer friends and family to enroll in the Underground Hard Rock Miner Common Core program, a mandatory prerequisite for underground mining jobs in Ontario. To learn more about the graduate referral bonus program, contact Tracy Wagner, the Common Core Coordinator, at twagner@norcat. org or 705-521-8324 ext 404