Teck Alaska

The Challenge

Located above the Arctic Circle in Alaska, Red Dog Mine is one of the world’s largest zinc mines.  Mine management has recently prioritized expanded training to improve safety and develop employees' skills. 

According to Jason Baca, HR Senior Training Manager, “Every business sector across the nation is experiencing a skills gap with less workers to fill vacancies and Red Dog is not immune to this problem.  From a business/organization perspective, we are trying to provide sustainability in our workforce and at the mine.”

Jason valued the DACUM process for developing quality training and was impressed by the WIDS Team's expertise in apprenticeships and DACUM-based training development.

The WIDS Solution

Mine managers identified 14 key job titles urgently needing training. The WIDS team conducted DACUM studies and developed apprenticeship-style programs combining on-the-job training with related instruction. WIDS consultants collaborated with mine subject matter experts (SMEs) to align tasks and content for each program level.

WIDS consultants developed training course curriculum in Red Dog Mine’s WIDS Site. Curriculum elements included Course Outcome Summaries, Learning Plans, and Performance Assessment Tasks. Courses and course competencies were then linked back to the DACUM Tasks to illustrate how the related instruction supports the key DACUM-identified tasks, duties, and skills. Once courses were developed in WIDS, the consultants used the resulting learning plans to develop interactive, independent study online courses.

WIDS collaborated with Red Dog management to incorporate existing resources like SOPs and equipment manuals while also developing new materials, including job overview videos, quizzes, and practice activities. Teck Alaska then deployed the progressive training series through their LMS allowing for efficient departmental employee training deployment.

The Result

The partnership with WIDS was invaluable for Red Dog Mine in developing the training courses.  

According to Jason, “the main benefit for us is standardization and a proven model that works.  The consultants are knowledgeable, easy to work with, bring a depth of experience and get the job done.”  

The training programs provide managers with an opportunity to recognize employees for their skills and this in turn has boosted morale in all areas of the organization.  

According to Jason “We are seeing an increase in ownership and pride by employees in their own progressions through training, because they now feel more valued as an employee and that there is a partnership with their supervisor and the company as a whole. These training programs will benefit us and the future of our workforce for many years to come.”