Establishing and Maintaining a Social Licence to Operate in Mining

Summary

You lose your job, and investors lose their money when a mining project loses its social licence to operate. Government officials in capital cities issue legal licences. Out at the project site, networks of stakeholders issue social licences. Without both, the project stops. However, getting a social licence is a much less defined affair. Moreover, it is an ongoing process that lasts the life of the project. This course explains the principles for getting and keeping a social licence.

The focus of the course is on the strategic management of socio-political risk. It begins with topics concerning assessing the location, severity, and causes of socio-political risk in the project's stakeholder network. Then principles for mitigating risk are reviewed. They include strategies for changing the network structure and for devising more appropriate stakeholder relations strategies. Finally, specific community initiatives and programs are discussed to show how they meet multiple risk reduction criteria simultaneously, such as those advocated in corporate social responsibility and sustainability charters and guidelines.

The points in the course are illustrated with examples from Latin America, North America, and Austral-Asia. The examples include projects at different stages of the mine lifecycle and in communities with different pre-existing capacities for issuing a valid, durable social licence.

Pre-Course e-Learning

Prior to the course, registered delegates have access to the online e-learning material consisting of an introductory course titled Establishing a Social Licence to Operate in Mining.

UBC Certificate in Mining Studies

This course qualifies for one day of short course credit for the UBC Certificate in Mining Studies, a continuing education initiative by the Norman B. Keevil Institute of Mining at the University of British Columbia. more details »

Continuing Professional Development (CPD)

This course meets the requirements for formal CPD activity for most Canadian provincial associations and US state boards and may contribute the equivalent in hours towards your CPD requirement. more details »

Who Should Attend

The course is aimed at any and all managers who deal with stakeholders and their issues. This includes geologists, land and mineral rights managers, contract and compensation managers, community relations managers, environmental specialists, purchasing managers, compliance officers, health and safety specialists, human resource officers, investor relations managers, communications officers, and project general managers.