Canada's Top Employers for Young People (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 60
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CANADA’S TOP EMPLOYERS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE (2025)
Rio Tinto is keen to attract and develop young talent
I
n 2022, Avery Hagerman saw
an online job posting for a
two-year graduate program
at Montréal-based Rio
Tinto. “I didn’t have tons of
experience, but I thought, hey, this
is for new graduates, I’ll just apply
– and I’m so glad I did,” she says.
Rio Tinto is the largest mining
and metals company operating
in Canada. A native of Gatineau,
Que., Hagerman had earned
an honours bachelor’s degree
in environmental science from
McGill University in 2021. When
she researched Rio Tinto’s website
before applying, she discovered
that the company is working hard
to mitigate the environmental
impact of climate change.
Young people are our
next generation of
leaders who offer fresh
perspectives and new
ideas for finding better
ways to innovate.
— Isabelle Ferron
Global Manager, Early Talent
“Rio Tinto is striving to do better
for the environment and that
appealed to me,” says Hagerman,
who was hired permanently as an
environmental advisor in 2024.
In that role, she works in the geographic information systems (GIS)
space on such projects as surface
water allocation. “I’m compiling
data on how much surface water
we’re using and how much we’re
allowed to use, which is really
interesting,” she says.
Rio Tinto’s graduate program
A Rio Tinto employee at the Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) Operations site in Labrador City,
Newfoundland and Labrador.
has long been a point of pride,
welcoming more than 250 new
graduates annually, as well as
many interns. “Young people are
our next generation of leaders
who offer fresh perspectives and
new ideas for finding better ways
to innovate,” says Isabelle Ferron,
global manager of early talent.
“We want to ensure that our early
talent have a great start across all
regions and countries, because
we want to help them grow and
develop in our organization.”
Ferron joined Rio Tinto in 1998
as a human resources advisor.
Every four to six years, she moved
into a new role in a different part
of the business. “The development
of our people is at the heart of Rio
Tinto – and it’s what I love about
our organization,” she says.
Hagerman was keen to learn
more and develop her skills from
the outset. She has done so in
part by attending conferences in
Vancouver and San Diego. “My
team is global, and my boss is in
Australia – I met my team there
for the first time in person in 2022,
which was great,” she says.
Although mining has historically been a male-dominated
industry, that’s changing thanks
to the increase in women earning
degrees in science, technology,
engineering and math (STEM).
“We want to provide equal opportunities to women and men,” says
Ferron. “We have great women out
there in STEM, and we’re looking
to find them and make them feel
welcome here.”
Formal and informal mentorship is also integral to growth and
