Human Resources committee  We see higher levels of success and retention through a program where those programs can be operated in local communities. A significant factor for many aboriginal youth, in particular, is that if they go down to a larger centre or the training program, it's often a cultural shoc

Human Resources committee  I'm not sure of those statistics but I can check on that and report back to you on that. I do know of some of our activities in an area where I'm most directly involved right now, which is working in northern Saskatchewan. Certainly our entry there and our consultations with loc

Human Resources committee  I'd have to check on that. I'm not exactly sure of the funding sources.

Human Resources committee  I would echo very much Bob's comments in terms of our own experience. We try to engage very closely both with government and the training institutes to identify skill needs, job opportunities coming up, and then work with them to develop the training modules that are needed to me

Human Resources committee  Yes. An example within Rio Tinto would be something like the Kitimat aluminum smelter upgrades or modernization program and the Kemano project, whereby we look at and work with the local suppliers, first nations suppliers, and try to structure the contracts to meet their scale of

Human Resources committee  Offhand, I would say the programs are fairly similar. It also comes down to corporate focus. At Rio Tinto we have made employment of indigenous peoples, or aboriginal peoples, a focus going forward for the corporation as part of our corporate social responsibility. We have work

Human Resources committee  In almost all our operations, we have in-house training programs to upgrade skills. We try to, as I said, operate in conjunction with the local communities and the local governments to optimize the training programs to the skill sets that are needed.

Human Resources committee  Yes, essentially, and if you look at the model of the Diavik program in northern Canada, there are a number of groups involved there. We have the local communities that are identifying individuals for the training programs. You have the regional or territorial governments that

Human Resources committee  It's a combination of both. We look at the individuals. There may be individuals in the communities who can benefit from some pre-apprenticeship training before they come into Rio Tinto. Each individual is a unique entity with their own set of skills and abilities, so it's import

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and honourable members. I'm proud to be here today representing Rio Tinto. While we are considered a leading mining company, we also continue to learn from our experience and that of others. Rio Tinto is one of the largest integrated mining compan