Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Mining geotechnical engineer to mineral processing engineer

A mining geotechnical engineer already meets 33% of what the mineral processing engineer 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
33 % overlap
Distant match
To mineral processing engineer
6 You already bring
8 Still to learn
19 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

62.6/ 100

1 How much of what a mineral processing engineer 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 mineral processing engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A mineral processing engineer role treats 4 of its required skills as things a mining geotechnical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • address problems critically
  • geology
  • 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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 6 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 mining geotechnical engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held mine dump design management skills
  • 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
  • already held address problems critically communication, collaboration and creativity

All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the mineral processing engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 13 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information skills 3 required
  • still to learn manage mineral testing procedures required
  • still to learn maintain records of mining operations required
  • still to learn monitor mine production required
02 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn troubleshoot required
  • optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
  • optional, not held communicate on the environmental impact of mining optional
  • optional, not held develop new installations optional
03 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn chemistry required
  • optional, not held bioleaching optional
04 assisting and caring 1 required
  • still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
05 handling and moving 1 required
  • still to learn organize chemical reagents required
06 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required
  • still to learn manage mineral processing plant required

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

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.

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 geology knowledge
  • already held prepare scientific reports skill
  • already held supervise staff skill
  • already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
  • already held mine dump design skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held design plant waste procedures optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
  • optional, not held bioleaching optional
  • optional, not held communicate on the environmental impact of mining optional
  • optional, not held design plant waste procedures optional
  • optional, not held develop new installations optional
11 held skills the mineral processing engineer 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 advise on geology for mineral extraction 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 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 plan geotechnical investigations in the field skill
  • not needed by the target role test raw minerals 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.

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

Common questions about this move

Can a mining geotechnical engineer become a mineral processing engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A mining geotechnical engineer already covers 33% of what a mineral processing engineer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the mineral processing engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a mining geotechnical engineer need to become a mineral processing engineer?

8 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 mining geotechnical engineer to mineral processing engineer?

Its learning distance is 62.6 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.