BHP : Unearthing potential at the Jansen potash project

17 May 2024

In 2022, Yasmin Adem had just graduated from the University of Toronto with her Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering. Now, just two years later, she is a Graduate Engineer at BHP working on one of the biggest potash projects in the world.

"BHP is my first big girl job, first job out of university," said Yasmin. "Being part of the Jansen project, one of the largest potash mines under development, is something that not many people have the opportunity to be involved in, especially for someone that just graduated from school. Being there from the beginning and hopefully being there to see the very end when they actually start producing potash is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

The project represents a total CAD$14 billion investment in Saskatchewan ─ the single largest investment in the province's history. Once fully ramped up, the mine is expected to produce approximately 10 per cent of the world's potash and to operate for several decades.

As a young woman in mining and a recent graduate, Yasmin has found support within her community at site, her team and BWISE, BHP's employee resource group that supports and empowers women, contributing to a culture of inclusion and diversity.

"Having an inclusive and diverse workforce, I feel like is very important. Having to be able to see people with different backgrounds really allows, for me personally, to know like 'Oh, I can join that team. Like [there's] a space that's open for me,'" said Yasmin. "As well as having these diverse backgrounds, it also allows for the team to have new ideas, new perspectives, which can overall really benefit the team and accomplish their goals."

A career in mining presents a world of opportunities for new or recent graduates, like Yasmin, offering the chance to be part of a growing industry and introducing a new commodity for BHP that will fuel global agriculture and play a crucial role in food security and resource sustainability.

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