At a recent regional career day hosted by U.P. Michigan Works!, Copperwood Site Manager Mike Foley spent the morning talking with local students about their future careers and what job opportunities exist close to home.
Mike, along with 43 fellow employers and educators, attended the Gogebic Community College Campus & Career Exploration Day, welcoming nearly 400 high school students from Ironwood, Bessemer, Wakefield-Marenisco, Ewen-Trout Creek and Ontonagon, as well as Hurley and Mellen in neighboring Wisconsin.
Throughout the event, Mike spoke with nearly 90 students, many eager to learn about the job opportunities the Copperwood Mine Project could create in the area. The students were continually surprised about how many different careers a project like Copperwood requires. In total, the Copperwood Project is expected to support about 380 employees across more than 75 different fields from equipment operation and skilled trades to IT, accounting, engineering and other technical roles.
For many young people in the western Upper Peninsula, finding a career often means leaving the region. Conversations like these help young people understand the potential career opportunities closer to home. Projects like this don’t come along often in the area, and for many young people here, it represents the possibility of building a future right where they grew up.
