College to benefit from technology partnerships

ELKO — Barrick Gold Corporation, Cisco and Great Basin College (GBC) announced April 20 a new partnership to bring digital and information technology skills development courses free of charge to employees, their families, veterans and other groups in Barrick’s rural host communities.

The $400,000 investment will help participants pursue IT-focused exploratory, foundational and career-ready courses through the IT education program from Cisco Networking Academy. It features both online and in-person courses.

This model U.S. program will eventually be available to every community where Barrick operates including in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Saudi Arabia, and Zambia.

Speakers at the announcement, which took place at Great Basin College High Tech Center in Elko, included Nigel Bain, executive director of Barrick USA; Michael Brown, president of Barrick USA; John Bjerke, corporate social responsibility manager of Cisco; and Dr. Mark Curtis, president of Great Basin College.

Barrick Gold is the world’s leading gold producer, with operations on four continents. The company operates three gold mines in Nevada, employing more than 4,000 in the state. Barrick is the state’s largest foreign investor and is also Nevada’s largest exporter.

Cisco is a worldwide leader in secure digital connection technology.