Mine surveyor to mine planning engineer
A mine surveyor already meets 34% of what the mine planning engineer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
62.1/ 100
1 How much of what a mine planning engineer is expected to do is already part of a mine surveyor’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 5 of its required skills as things a mine surveyor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- impact of geological factors on mining operations
- maintain plans of a mining site
- mining engineering
- prepare scientific reports
- supervise staff
What stands in the way is 8 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 6 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 a mine surveyor background worth leading with.
- already held maintain plans of a mining site information skills
- already held minerals laws business, administration and law
- already held mining engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held prepare scientific reports communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held supervise staff management skills
All 6 carried skills, including the 5 the mine planning engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 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 advise on mine equipment required
- still to learn interface with anti-mining lobbyists required
- still to learn address problems critically required
- still to learn generate reconciliation reports 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 schedule mine production required
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
- still to learn use mine planning software required
- optional, not held use technical drawing software optional
- still to learn geology required
- optional, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation optional
1 further area in the appendix
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 interface with anti-mining lobbyists 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
- already held maintain plans of a mining site skill
- already held mining engineering knowledge
- already held prepare scientific reports skill
- already held supervise staff skill
- already held minerals laws knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
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
17 held skills the mine planning engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role create GIS reports skill
- not needed by the target role create thematic maps skill
- not needed by the target role delineate mine area skill
- not needed by the target role dimension stone knowledge
- not needed by the target role geographic information systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify GIS issues skill
- not needed by the target role maintain records of mining operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage mine site data skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role negotiate land access skill
- not needed by the target role operate surveying instruments skill
- not needed by the target role perform surveying calculations skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role process collected survey data skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports 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 geology required
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
Common questions about this move
Can a mine surveyor become a mine planning engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A mine surveyor already covers 34% of what a mine planning engineer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 5 of which the mine planning engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a mine surveyor need to become a mine planning engineer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is generate reconciliation reports.
How hard is the move from mine surveyor to mine planning engineer?
Its learning distance is 62.1 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.