Geotechnician to mineral processing engineer
A geotechnician already meets 26% of what the mineral processing engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.6/ 100
1 How much of what a mineral processing engineer is expected to do is already part of a geotechnician’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 mineral processing engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mineral processing engineer role treats 3 of its required skills as things a geotechnician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- geology
- prepare scientific reports
- troubleshoot
What stands in the way is 9 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 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mineral processing engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a geotechnician background worth leading with.
- already held communicate on the environmental impact of mining communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held prepare scientific reports communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held geology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held troubleshoot communication, collaboration and creativity
All 5 carried skills, including the 3 the mineral processing engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 7 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 manage mineral testing procedures required
- still to learn maintain records of mining operations required
- still to learn monitor mine production required
- still to learn address problems critically required
- optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
- optional, not held develop new installations optional
- still to learn supervise staff required
- optional, not held design plant waste procedures optional
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
- still to learn chemistry required
- optional, not held bioleaching optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
- still to learn organize chemical reagents required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mineral processing engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 manage mineral processing plant practise this
- 02 manage mineral testing procedures 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 5 skills that carry over
- already held geology knowledge
- already held prepare scientific reports skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held communicate on the environmental impact of mining skill
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn manage mineral processing plant required
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
- optional, not held bioleaching optional
- optional, not held design plant waste procedures optional
- optional, not held develop new installations optional
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
12 held skills the mineral processing engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role collect samples skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- not needed by the target role install rock movement monitoring devices skill
- not needed by the target role maintain cores skill
- not needed by the target role monitor geotechnical structures skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate land access skill
- not needed by the target role perform sample testing skill
- not needed by the target role physics knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan geotechnical investigations in the field skill
- not needed by the target role prepare geological map sections skill
- not needed by the target role prepare samples for testing skill
- not needed by the target role test raw minerals skill
2 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 bioleaching optional
Common questions about this move
Can a geotechnician become a mineral processing engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A geotechnician already covers 26% of what a mineral processing engineer is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 3 of which the mineral processing engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a geotechnician need to become a mineral processing engineer?
9 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is manage mineral processing plant.
How hard is the move from geotechnician to mineral processing engineer?
Its learning distance is 67.6 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.