Surface miner to explosives engineer
A surface miner already meets 28% of what the explosives engineer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.1/ 100
1 How much of what an explosives engineer is expected to do is already part of a surface miner’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 explosives engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An explosives engineer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a surface miner already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- address problems critically
- electricity
- geology
- impact of geological factors on mining operations
- troubleshoot
What stands in the way is 11 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 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An explosives engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a surface miner background worth leading with.
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held geology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held address problems critically communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held electricity engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held troubleshoot communication, collaboration and creativity
All 5 carried skills, including the 5 the explosives engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 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 decide quantity of explosives required required
- still to learn examine prospective blast area required
- still to learn report misfires required
- still to learn report outcome of blast required
- still to learn explosives required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
- optional, not held mining engineering optional
- still to learn sequence explosions required
- still to learn handle explosives required
- still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
- optional, not held safely detonate explosives optional
- optional, not held signal for explosion optional
- still to learn issue drilling instructions required
- optional, not held present reports optional
- still to learn chemistry required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an explosives engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 decide quantity of explosives required practise this
- 02 issue drilling instructions practise this
- 03 sequence explosions 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 5 skills that carry over
- already held address problems critically skill
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held geology knowledge
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
- already held troubleshoot skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
- optional, not held mining engineering optional
- optional, not held safely detonate explosives optional
- optional, not held signal for explosion optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
9 held skills the explosives engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role excavation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate front loader skill
- not needed by the target role operate hydraulic pumps skill
- not needed by the target role operate mining tools skill
- not needed by the target role perform minor repairs to equipment skill
- not needed by the target role react to events in time-critical environments skill
- not needed by the target role work ergonomically skill
5 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 explosives required
- still to learn chemistry required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
- optional, not held mining engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can a surface miner become an explosives engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A surface miner already covers 28% of what an explosives engineer is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 5 of which the explosives engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a surface miner need to become an explosives engineer?
11 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is decide quantity of explosives required.
How hard is the move from surface miner to explosives engineer?
Its learning distance is 70.1 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.