With metal prices remaining high, mining businesses are expanding operations, increasing production and reopening mines. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc (Phoenix, AZ) is ramping up production at its open pit copper mines in Arizona and New Mexico and its underground molybdenum mine in Colorado. It will soon open the first new open pit copper mine in thirty-five years in southeast Arizona. It will be the second largest mine in North America. The company also operates mines in Peru, Chile and Indonesia, and is developing a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“You need some type of mineral or metal to make just about everything we use in our everyday life,” says Hector Marquez, college recruiter. “Without copper, for example, we wouldn’t be able to drive cars or talk on cell phones or use electricity in our houses.”
In 2007 the Phelps Dodge mining company merged with Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc (Phoenix, AZ). The merged entity is now the largest publicly traded copper company in the world.
Modern mining requires many different kinds of engineers and IT professionals, Marquez explains. In addition to mining and mineral engineers, Freeport-McMoRan is looking for materials science and metallurgical engineers, geologists, and chemical, environmental, health/safety and industrial hygiene engineers. Civil, mechanical and electrical engineers are also needed for construction and special projects at the new and reopened mines. IT professionals are needed for both operations and the business side.
The company conducts state-of-the-art research in its own laboratories, and its mine technology group works with suppliers to design and test new equipment and help get it into production. “Today’s mining requires highly technical resources,” notes Marquez.
Most of Freeport-McMoRan’s locations are in rural areas. The company’s varied sites can often provide career opportunities for family members. Several married couples, Marquez reports, work together at company sites.
As many as a third of Freeport-McMoRan’s professional-level hiring in the next year will be new college grads. A college council, made up of diverse employees hired as new grads, helps recruiters strategize to reach Gen X and Gen Y prospects.
The company recruits from more than twenty universities, including the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), Colorado School of Mines (Golden, CO), Montana Tech of the University of Montana (Butte, MT) and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (Rapid City, SD). “These schools attract individuals who like the adventure of mining and the rural environment,” says Marquez.
The western schools also offer a diverse pool of women, Hispanic and Native American engineering students. The company’s foundation endowed the Copper Scholar program at Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ) with $1 million in 2006, enough to fund several scholarships. The program is aimed at Hispanic students who come from the rural West and intend to pursue mining-related careers there.
The foundation is establishing new partnerships with diversity organizations such as AISES. The company also works with the Society of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers.
Freeport-McMoRan’s internship program helps students with housing and travel, and offers competitive professional pay. Summer interns typically work at the company after their sophomore and junior years. About a third of the group is minorities and women, and three-quarters of all interns become full-time employees. There were 165 interns in 2007 and Marquez expects the number to increase in 2008.
Interns begin the program by establishing personal goals and creating an action plan with a supervisor. They review progress halfway through and collaborate on an evaluation at the end of the ten- to twelve-week program. Some may present to the rest of the interns and key management executives.
The 2007 interns toured the Morenci mine, the largest mine in North America, the new Safford mine in southeast Arizona and the company’s process technology center at Safford. They selected a professional from a different department to follow around on Shadow Day.
“Interns get exposure to areas outside their own assignment. It gives them a broader perspective of the mining industry,” says talent manager Rosanna Watson. She adds that fun is also part of the internship formula: social events like dinners, barbecues and trips to baseball games encourage group harmony and good times.
“We’re well known in the local labor market,” Marquez says. “But now we’re growing fast. We’re on the verge of introducing new technology, so if people outside the area are thinking about a high-tech career, they should come and see us. If they like rural life, mining is an industry they should consider.”
D/C
Freeport-McMoRan
Copper and Gold, Inc
www.fcx.com
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Headquarters: |
Phoenix, AZ |
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Employees: |
25,000 worldwide |
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Revenues: |
$17.6 billion |
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Business: |
Mining |
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