Mine geologist to mineral processing engineer
A mine geologist already meets 51% of what the mineral processing engineer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.5/ 100
1 How much of what a mineral processing engineer is expected to do is already part of a mine 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 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 7 of its required skills as things a mine geologist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- address problems critically
- chemistry
- geology
- maintain records of mining operations
- monitor mine production
- prepare scientific reports
What stands in the way is 5 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 8 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 mine geologist background worth leading with.
- already held communicate on the environmental impact of mining communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held monitor mine production information skills
- already held maintain records of mining operations information skills
- already held prepare scientific reports communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held geology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held supervise staff management skills
All 8 carried skills, including the 7 the mineral processing engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 11 missing skills fall into 8 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 troubleshoot required
- optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
- optional, not held develop new installations optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
- still to learn organize chemical reagents required
- still to learn manage mineral testing procedures required
- still to learn manage mineral processing plant required
- optional, not held design plant waste procedures optional
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
2 further areas 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 organize chemical reagents 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held address problems critically skill
- already held chemistry knowledge
- already held geology knowledge
- already held maintain records of mining operations skill
- already held monitor mine production skill
- already held prepare scientific reports skill
- already held supervise staff skill
- already held communicate on the environmental impact of mining skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held impact of geological factors on mining operations optional
- optional, not held bioleaching optional
6 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 impact of geological factors on mining operations optional
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
16 held skills the mineral processing 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 advise on mine development skill
- not needed by the target role advise on mine equipment skill
- not needed by the target role advise on mine production skill
- not needed by the target role advise on mining environmental issues skill
- not needed by the target role assess operating cost skill
- not needed by the target role communicate on minerals issues skill
- not needed by the target role deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role determine characteristics of mineral deposits skill
- not needed by the target role develop site remediation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role dimension stone knowledge
- not needed by the target role logging knowledge
- not needed by the target role negotiate land access skill
- not needed by the target role plan mine operations skill
- not needed by the target role provide information on geological characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role use mine planning software 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.
- optional, not held bioleaching optional
- optional, not held impact of geological factors on mining operations optional
Common questions about this move
Can a mine geologist become a mineral processing engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mine geologist already covers 51% of what a mineral processing engineer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 7 of which the mineral processing engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a mine geologist need to become a mineral processing engineer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is manage mineral processing plant.
How hard is the move from mine geologist to mineral processing engineer?
Its learning distance is 47.5 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.