Forty-two apprentices started at the Kiruna mine this month, the largest group in the programme's history.

Over the next two years they will train as electricians, mechanics, rock bolters and control room operators, with a guaranteed job at the end. Most are from Norrbotten, and a third are women, up from a fifth last year.

Learning on the job

Apprentices spend four days a week at the mine and one at our training centre in town. Each is paired with a mentor who has at least ten years underground. In the first month they learn safety, first aid and how to work in the mine's 1,365 metre main level.

The centre has a full-size replica of a mine drift, where apprentices practise charging, bolting and remote loading before they do it for real.

Paid from day one

Apprentices earn a full salary from their first day, and we cover housing for those who move to Kiruna. The programme is run with the local upper secondary school, so it can be combined with a vocational diploma.

Why it matters

Around 600 of our people in Kiruna will retire in the next ten years. At the same time, the mine is going deeper and more of the work is done remotely, so the skills we need are changing.

Applications for next year's group open in February.