Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Mine planning engineer to mining geotechnical engineer

A mine planning engineer already meets 48% of what the mining geotechnical engineer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From mine planning engineer
48 % overlap
Partial match
To mining geotechnical engineer
7 You already bring
5 Still to learn
17 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

49.1/ 100

1 How much of what a mining geotechnical engineer is expected to do is already part of a mine planning 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 mining geotechnical engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A mining geotechnical engineer role treats 6 of its required skills as things a mine planning engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • address problems critically
  • geology
  • impact of geological factors on mining operations
  • prepare scientific reports
  • supervise staff
  • use mine planning software

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mining geotechnical engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mine planning engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held mine dump design management skills
  • already held use mine planning software working with computers
  • 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 supervise staff management skills

All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the mining geotechnical engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 10 missing skills fall into 5 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn design infrastructure for surface mines required
  • still to learn advise on geology for mineral extraction required
  • still to learn advise on construction materials required
  • optional, not held advise on archaeological sites optional
02 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn plan geotechnical investigations in the field required
  • optional, not held interpret seismic data optional
  • optional, not held test raw minerals optional
03 management skills 1 required
  • still to learn manage geotechnical staff required
04 services 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
05 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held install rock movement monitoring devices optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a mining geotechnical engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 7 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held address problems critically skill
  • already held geology knowledge
  • already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
  • already held prepare scientific reports skill
  • already held supervise staff skill
  • already held use mine planning software skill
  • already held mine dump design skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held interpret seismic data optional
  • optional, not held advise on archaeological sites optional
  • optional, not held install rock movement monitoring devices optional
  • optional, not held test raw minerals optional
  • optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
14 held skills the mining geotechnical engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise on mine equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role assess operating cost skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure compliance with safety legislation skill
  • not needed by the target role evaluate mine development projects skill
  • not needed by the target role generate reconciliation reports skill
  • not needed by the target role interface with anti-mining lobbyists skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain plans of a mining site skill
  • not needed by the target role mine safety legislation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role minerals laws knowledge
  • not needed by the target role mining engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role monitor mine costs skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor mine production skill
  • not needed by the target role schedule mine production skill
  • not needed by the target role use technical drawing software skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a mine planning engineer become a mining geotechnical engineer?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mine planning engineer already covers 48% of what a mining geotechnical engineer is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 6 of which the mining geotechnical engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a mine planning engineer need to become a mining geotechnical engineer?

5 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is design infrastructure for surface mines.

How hard is the move from mine planning engineer to mining geotechnical engineer?

Its learning distance is 49.1 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.