MAPTS lending Arctic mining expertise to train Greenlanders North of 60 Mining News – November 25, 2020
Experts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks' Mining and Petroleum Training Service (MAPTS) will help Greenland establish an underground mine training center as interest in the Arctic nation's rich mineral resources grows.
In recent years, mining companies from around the world have been exploring and developing large deposits of rare earths, titanium, and uranium identified in Greenland – as well as the gold, gemstones and other minerals also found there.
On Nov. 23, the United States Bureau of Energy Resources announced that Greenland and the U.S. are advancing mutual commitments to sound mineral sector governance in the Arctic nation through technical engagement with the Greenland School of Minerals and Petroleum, locally known as KTI Råstofskolen, or KTI.
Part of a broader initiative to help Greenland address a growing mineral sector in this nation with a population barely topping 56,000, the Bureau of Energy Resources signed a $1.2 million cooperative agreement with the University of Utah to support the development of KTI's mining engineering curriculum.
Under this three-year agreement, the Department of State and the University of Utah will work with KTI to develop its underground mine training facility, create a search and rescue program, and offer various topical courses to train a generation of mining sector experts and specialists to fill niche employment needs in Greenland as the extractives sectors continue to develop.
Educators from MAPTS will share their expertise in mining research and workforce development in the Arctic to this program.
The agreement will also leverage the University of Utah's award-winning student mine rescue team and relationships with state agencies, mines, and professional associations in Utah and Alaska.
This agreement supports strengthening Greenland's understanding of U.S. and leading industry standards, as well as perspectives on how mining sector projects should be undertaken and managed for the benefit of all.
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