Exploration geologist to mine planning engineer
An exploration geologist already meets 21% of what the mine planning engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.4/ 100
1 How much of what a mine planning engineer is expected to do is already part of an exploration geologist’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the mine planning engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mine planning engineer role treats 3 of its required skills as things an exploration geologist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- address problems critically
- geology
- interface with anti-mining lobbyists
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 4 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mine planning engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an exploration geologist background worth leading with.
- already held interface with anti-mining lobbyists communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held minerals laws business, administration and law
- already held geology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held address problems critically communication, collaboration and creativity
All 4 carried skills, including the 3 the mine planning engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn generate reconciliation reports required
- still to learn maintain plans of a mining site required
- still to learn monitor mine production required
- optional, not held evaluate mine development projects optional
- optional, not held monitor mine costs optional
- optional, not held assess operating cost optional
- still to learn impact of geological factors on mining operations required
- still to learn mining engineering required
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
- still to learn schedule mine production required
- still to learn supervise staff required
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
- still to learn advise on mine equipment required
- still to learn prepare scientific reports required
- still to learn use mine planning software required
- optional, not held use technical drawing software optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mine planning engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 generate reconciliation reports practise this
- 02 advise on mine equipment practise this
- 03 impact of geological factors on mining operations study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 4 skills that carry over
- already held address problems critically skill
- already held geology knowledge
- already held interface with anti-mining lobbyists skill
- already held minerals laws knowledge
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held evaluate mine development projects optional
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
- optional, not held monitor mine costs optional
- optional, not held assess operating cost optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation optional
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
- optional, not held use technical drawing software optional
20 held skills the mine planning engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on geology for mineral extraction skill
- not needed by the target role apply strategic thinking skill
- not needed by the target role archaeology knowledge
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate on minerals issues skill
- not needed by the target role communicate on the environmental impact of mining skill
- not needed by the target role complete initial resource statements skill
- not needed by the target role conduct environmental site assessments skill
- not needed by the target role determine characteristics of mineral deposits skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate mineral resources skill
- not needed by the target role examine geochemical samples skill
- not needed by the target role interpret geophysical data skill
- not needed by the target role logging knowledge
- not needed by the target role minerals prices knowledge
- not needed by the target role model mineral deposits skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate land access skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate land acquisition skill
- not needed by the target role use earth sciences tools skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn impact of geological factors on mining operations required
- still to learn mining engineering required
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
Common questions about this move
Can an exploration geologist become a mine planning engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An exploration geologist already covers 21% of what a mine planning engineer is expected to do: 4 skills carry over, 3 of which the mine planning engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an exploration geologist need to become a mine planning engineer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is generate reconciliation reports.
How hard is the move from exploration geologist to mine planning engineer?
Its learning distance is 72.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.