The Aboriginal Minerals Training Program (AMTP) is a partnership between the Mining and Mineral Exploration Technology Program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), the Association for Mineral Exploration BC (AMEBC), the Mining Association of BC (MABC) and the British Columbia Ministry of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources (MEMPR).

The aim of the Aboriginal Minerals Training Program is to increase the participation of Aboriginal people in the minerals sector. The need for such a program is self-evident. Aboriginal communities have a right and interest to benefit from resource extraction in their traditional territories, and the minerals sector recognizes the need to provide meaningful employment and benefits to nearby communities. This need is further emphasized by the fact that many Aboriginal communities face high levels of unemployment and at the same time, the minerals sector is facing a critical employment shortage and needs to attract a large number of new people into the industry.

The key goals of the program are to:

• Increase the awareness of Aboriginal people and communities of the opportunities available within the minerals industry through exposure to seminars and training courses;
• Increase the opportunities for Aboriginal people to obtain training in geology, mineral exploration and mining in and around their local communities.
• Increase the number of Aboriginal people employed in the minerals sector;
• Advance the number of Aboriginal people moving upward within the training ladder and/or work place.