What's the situation right now for hiring technicians in Fort McMurray?

Jessica: Getting skilled workers is difficult in any industry right now, and attracting workers to the oilsands is tough. We offer a ton of training and all kinds of advancement and growth opportunities, but it's still challenging to find people who want to become technicians that work on mining equipment.

What kinds of people are you looking for?

Jessica: Ideally, we'd like to find someone with experience in the equipment we sell and service. Mining equipment has unique skill requirements because it's much larger than the heavy equipment used in other industries. We used to require three to five years on mining-size equipment, but that's gotten increasingly challenging. Now, we look for people with their tickets and a good attitude. Our candidates today typically have experience with semi trucks, smaller construction equipment, or agricultural equipment and then train them to work on larger equipment. 

What kind of support do you provide for new employees?

Jessica: We do a lot of training, either through the Keyano College apprenticeship program, or helping people get used to working on very large equipment, so that's part of our DNA. 

We have a lot of new employees right now, so we're encouraging our more experienced technicians to take some of the green hardhats, as we call them, under their wing. It's not just technical things - an essential part of this is letting them know that we have a culture of asking questions and pushing back if you're uncomfortable. That's a consistent message that we reinforce at all levels. 

We also provide more advanced training for employees once they've learned the basics. We have an internal certified technician program that we put our techs through, and that's very well received. It includes training specific to our product lines. People who work on mechanical equipment like to know what they're doing, so we ensure we support them.

What efforts do you undertake to ensure diversity? 

Jessica: Diversity is something we emphasize a lot at SMS Equipment. Getting more women to join the trades has been a big priority. We have a process to ensure we fully consider any incoming resumes. Unfortunately, a program we were involved in got cancelled because of COVID, but we're working on other alternatives. 

We also have an ongoing strategic alliance with Fort McMurray First Nations band. We communicate our vacancies to their organizations, and if they have a band member interested in a role, they send the resume to me directly. All of the same requirements still have to be met, but we're trying to be more diverse, so we'll ensure that the resumes get full consideration. First Nations organizations also organize job fairs, so we make sure to attend those to be a recognizable employer of choice for any band members looking for work.