Geological engineer to environmental mining engineer
A geological engineer already meets 46% of what the environmental mining engineer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
54.9/ 100
1 How much of what an environmental mining engineer is expected to do is already part of a geological engineer’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 environmental mining engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An environmental mining engineer role treats 11 of its required skills as things a geological engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- assess environmental impact
- civil engineering
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
What stands in the way is 11 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An environmental mining engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a geological engineer background worth leading with.
- already held mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held civil engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held assess environmental impact assisting and caring
- already held ensure compliance with safety legislation assisting and caring
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use technical drawing software working with computers
All 11 carried skills, including the 11 the environmental mining engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 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 communicate on minerals issues required
- still to learn communicate on the environmental impact of mining required
- still to learn address problems critically required
- still to learn prepare scientific reports required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held negotiate with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- still to learn develop environmental policy required
- still to learn supervise staff required
- optional, not held develop mine rehabilitation plan optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with environmental legislation required
- still to learn manage environmental impact required
- still to learn chemistry required
- optional, not held biology optional
- still to learn maintain records of mining operations required
- optional, not held impact of meteorological phenomena on mining operations optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an environmental mining engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 communicate on minerals issues practise this
- 02 communicate on the environmental impact of mining practise this
- 03 maintain records of mining operations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held assess environmental impact skill
- already held civil engineering knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with safety legislation skill
- already held mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop mine rehabilitation plan optional
- optional, not held impact of meteorological phenomena on mining operations optional
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held negotiate with stakeholders optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
34 held skills the environmental mining engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on building matters skill
- not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
- not needed by the target role advise on geology for mineral extraction skill
- not needed by the target role advise on waste management procedures skill
- not needed by the target role apply digital mapping skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role collect geological data skill
- not needed by the target role collect samples for analysis skill
- not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
- not needed by the target role conduct land surveys skill
- not needed by the target role develop geological databases skill
- not needed by the target role environmental design knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine geochemical samples skill
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role geochemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role geographic information systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role geography knowledge
- not needed by the target role geological time scale knowledge
- not needed by the target role geology knowledge
- not needed by the target role geophysics knowledge
- not needed by the target role impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret geophysical data skill
- not needed by the target role monitor geotechnical structures skill
- not needed by the target role nuclear energy knowledge
- not needed by the target role oversee construction project skill
- not needed by the target role perform computer analyses of geotechnical structures skill
- not needed by the target role perform sample testing skill
- not needed by the target role prepare geological map sections skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on geological characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role soil science knowledge
- not needed by the target role study aerial photos skill
- not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
- not needed by the target role use geographic information systems 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 chemistry required
- optional, not held impact of meteorological phenomena on mining operations optional
- optional, not held biology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a geological engineer become an environmental mining engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A geological engineer already covers 46% of what an environmental mining engineer is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 11 of which the environmental mining engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a geological engineer need to become an environmental mining engineer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is communicate on minerals issues.
How hard is the move from geological engineer to environmental mining engineer?
Its learning distance is 54.9 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.