The soon-to-reopen Oracle Ridge Mine promises to employ up to 240 new workers for its underground copper mine on the back side of the Santa Catalina Mountains.
Mine officials are hoping to generate interest and will offer training to local residents so they're ready to get on the job once the operation is under way.
"They've reported to us a shortage in being able to find qualified miners to work, and so we're working directly with them through our Pima County One Stop on a training program ...," County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry told the Board of Supervisors.
Jim Mize, business services manager at One Stop, said he met with the company's vice president of human resources to talk about how the county can help the company find workers in both Pima and Pinal counties.
"We are going to start looking for miners or people with underground mining skills," he said.
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The company will finalize staffing plans in the next few months, said Jason Mercier, Oracle Ridge Mining vice president.
Hiring will pick up early next year, he said.
The best thing prospective employees can do is keep an eye on the careers page on the oracleridgecopper.com website, he said.
He believes it won't be hard to fill the jobs once people know about the opportunity.
"There's almost no better place to find experienced miners than Arizona, especially in the copper area," Mercier said.
Employment in Arizona's mining industry reached a recent peak in 2008, with around 14,400 workers, said Rick Van Sickle, a labor economist with the Arizona Office of Employment and Population Statistics.
A recent employment estimate counts around 11,900 workers in the industry now.
It's hard to tell how many former mine workers are available for hire, he said, because some may have moved or switched careers or taken any job available.
As of May, there were 132 continued claims for unemployment benefits from people who lost work in the mining industry, Van Sickle said.
Those people may be qualified to work at Oracle Ridge, he said, but they will certainly face competition from out-of-state workers who are experienced and willing to move.
On the web
Oracle Ridge: oracleridgecopper.com
Pima County One Stop: pima.gov/ced/cs/onestop
Contact reporter Becky Pallack at bpallack@azstarnet.com or 573-4346.
