women, mining, spence

Spence celebrated a significant day for Inclusion and Diversity

The welcoming of the 12 new female maintenance apprentices together with the reception of the new truck with a multicolored hopper, in support of the LGBT+ community, were excellent reasons for the Spence Mine Area to hold a significant Inclusion and Diversity ceremony.

These new female apprentices are the fourth generation of the Female Maintainer Apprentice Program and were hired after a training process at the Industrial and Mining Training Center, CEIM, in Antofagasta, where they received training in different maintenance specialties.

Marcelo Muñoz, Mine Maintenance Reliability Superintendent, points out that they are also finalizing the hiring of the fifth generation of apprentices, contributing to the Mine Maintenance Management area increasing female representation from 19% to 28% during the current fiscal year.

Ana Bran, Head of MECoE Minerals Americas, underlines that an important part of the cultural change that we are driving is to provide “a safe environment so that people feel good at work and can perform as they are. Activities like this -expressed Ana- show that we are open to anyone, regardless of, for example, their sexual orientation. Because we are looking for the best people to obtain the best results in the long term. We started with something more visible, such as gender diversity, and that has given us the space to have different conversations. This open-mindedness is the second phase that we are developing towards inclusion and diversity in broad terms”, she adds.

The arrival in Spence of the truck with a multicolored hopper that represents the flag of the LGBT+ community, joins eight other trucks from the Mine Area with significant colors: pink hopper, in support of the fight against breast cancer; orange hopper, in support of the fight against prostate cancer; and purple hopper in support of young LGBT+ people.

Likewise, Valentina Hanna, Line Technical Specialist BOS Spence Mine, affirms that “the welcome to the fourth generation of the Female Apprentice Program and the delivery of truck number 65 with the multicolored hopper, is a clear example of our commitment to Inclusion and Diversity. For us, having inclusive and diverse teams is of great value because it is proven that they can achieve greater results in productivity, safety, costs and culture.”

Rodrigo Ramírez, Mine General Manager (I), highlights that it was a very special day for Spence and for the Mine Area, within the framework of the company's commitment to Inclusion and Diversity in its broadest sense, which considers gender balance, people with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and sexual orientation. “The road we have traveled as a team together with our collaborators is very important. We have achieved a significant increase in the on-boarding of female workers, however, we know and are convinced that we must continue to move forward in this direction”, states Rodrigo.