Post-Secondary Mining Scholarship Program Being Extended and Expanded

Ottawa, ON, August 25, 2026 – MiHR is pleased to announce the five-year I Chose Mining. Mining Chose Me. Scholarship Program is being extended an additional five years and expanded in celebration of the Council’s 30^th anniversary.  Coinciding with the continued growth of the national Mining Needs You career awareness campaign, the expanded scholarship program is awarding a new total of six $2,500 scholarships – made possible thanks to MiHR’s coalition of Mining Needs You partners: the Mining Association of Canada (MAC), the World Gold Council (WGC) and the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC).

The I Chose Mining. Mining Chose Me. Scholarship Program was launched in 2021 in celebration of MiHR’s 25^th anniversary. It awarded two $2,500 scholarships a year for four years to exemplary post-secondary students in mining-related programs, with four scholarships awarded in 2025. Through the expanded 30^th anniversary scholarship, 18 students will have been recognized by the end of 2026 for their outstanding initiative in taking their first steps towards a career in mining.

“On behalf of MiHR and our partner organizations, we are thrilled to extend and expand the I Chose Mining. Mining Chose Me. Scholarship Program,” said MiHR’s Executive Director Ryan Montpellier. “The mining industry faces an increasing need for skilled workers as demand for critical minerals continues to grow and emerging technologies transform how resources are explored, extracted and processed. Rewarding young talent and celebrating the important contributions they can make to the sector is crucial to supporting an inclusive, skilled and sustainable Canadian mining workforce.”

In 2025, scholarships were awarded to four talented post-secondary students: Coby Morris, first year student of the College of the North Atlantic Civil Engineering Technology Co-Op program; Jean-Luc Becerra Leclere, third year Materials Engineering student at McGill University; Lauren Coffin, undertaking a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering Co-Op at the University of Ottawa; and Sophie Guerin, taking a Bachelor of Earth Sciences at Laurentian University.

Prospective applicants can find information on all prior recipients and complete eligibility and application process details for the 2026 scholarships at MiningNeedsYou.ca.

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About the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR)

MiHR is Canada’s knowledge centre for mining labour market information. An independent, non-profit organization, MiHR leads collaboration among mining and exploration companies, organized labour, contractors, educational institutions, industry associations and Indigenous groups to identify opportunities and address the human resource and labour market challenges facing the Canadian minerals and metals sector.

For More Information:

William Meyer
Director, Marketing, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
Mining Industry Human Resources Council
613.270.9696 x 58
wmeyer@mihr.ca