News Pulp Workforce
Mercer Peace River extends learning opportunities for Indigenous youth in the area

As one of its community initiatives, Mercer Peace River (MPR) extended its support to the Outland Youth Employment Program (OYEP). The six-week work experience program provides training and education in a supportive space that replicates various work environments. Indigenous high school students spend their summer living together at a camp where they learn a plethora of valuable life skills like First Aid, CPR, and WHMIS. They also cover chainsaw, tree planting and brush saw training, among many other valuable skills. The MPR team supports the program annually.

As part of the OYEP experience this year, 25 youth travelled from their camp at Lubicon Lake to MPR on July 20. The group was led through a tour of the Mercer Peace River pulp mill. They got to see first-hand how wood chips are manufactured into pulp products and shipped from the facility. The team then brought them to MPR’s Woodlands office to share the many career opportunities at MPR. The MPR team gave the youth the opportunity to speak directly with its team members who work in those careers.

Mercer Peace River’s goal was to expose them to careers that aligned with their interests while ensuring they knew that these careers are available locally. MPR senior leaders and team members had the opportunity to chat with the OYEP youth one-on-one. Many of them, who are finishing high school, already know that they want a hands-on career where they can work outside. The students expressed interest in working at MPR in the future and that they enjoyed their time at the facility.