Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Mining geotechnical engineer to mine geologist

A mining geotechnical engineer already meets 34% of what the mine geologist role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From mining geotechnical engineer
34 % overlap
Distant match
To mine geologist
6 You already bring
8 Still to learn
24 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

64.1/ 100

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

Why

Why this move works

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

  • address problems critically
  • advise on geology for mineral extraction
  • geology
  • prepare scientific reports
  • supervise staff
  • use mine planning software

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mine geologist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mining geotechnical engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held use mine planning software working with computers
  • already held advise on geology for mineral extraction communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held prepare scientific reports communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held geology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
  • already held supervise staff management skills
  • already held address problems critically communication, collaboration and creativity

All 6 carried skills, including the 6 the mine geologist role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 18 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 5 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn advise on mining environmental issues required
  • still to learn communicate on minerals issues required
  • still to learn communicate on the environmental impact of mining required
  • still to learn deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances required
  • still to learn provide information on geological characteristics required
  • optional, not held advise on mine development optional
  • optional, not held advise on mine equipment optional
  • optional, not held advise on mine production optional
  • optional, not held negotiate land access optional
02 information skills 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn determine characteristics of mineral deposits required
  • optional, not held maintain records of mining operations optional
  • optional, not held monitor mine production optional
  • optional, not held assess operating cost optional
03 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn plan mine operations required
  • optional, not held develop site remediation strategies optional
04 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • still to learn chemistry required
05 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held logging optional
06 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held dimension stone optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a mine geologist 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 6 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held address problems critically skill
  • already held advise on geology for mineral extraction skill
  • already held geology knowledge
  • already held prepare scientific reports skill
  • already held supervise staff skill
  • already held use mine planning software skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held advise on mine development optional
  • optional, not held advise on mine equipment optional
  • optional, not held advise on mine production optional
  • optional, not held develop site remediation strategies optional
  • optional, not held dimension stone optional
  • optional, not held logging optional
  • optional, not held maintain records of mining operations optional
  • optional, not held monitor mine production optional
  • optional, not held negotiate land access optional
  • optional, not held assess operating cost optional
11 held skills the mine geologist role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise on archaeological sites skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
  • not needed by the target role design infrastructure for surface mines skill
  • not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
  • not needed by the target role impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
  • not needed by the target role install rock movement monitoring devices skill
  • not needed by the target role interpret seismic data skill
  • not needed by the target role manage geotechnical staff skill
  • not needed by the target role mine dump design skill
  • not needed by the target role plan geotechnical investigations in the field skill
  • not needed by the target role test raw minerals 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn chemistry required
  • optional, not held dimension stone optional
  • optional, not held logging optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a mining geotechnical engineer become a mine geologist?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A mining geotechnical engineer already covers 34% of what a mine geologist is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 6 of which the mine geologist role treats as required.

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

8 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is plan mine operations.

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

Its learning distance is 64.1 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.