MINING ENGINEERING- CAREER INFORMATION SUMMARY
What is Mining Engineering and Who is a Mining Engineer?
Mining Engineering is the art of engineering which mainly focuses on how minerals are extracted from underneath, above or on the ground. It is associated with many other disciplines such as excavation, geology, geotechnical engineering, mineral processing, surveying and metallurgy.
A Mining Engineer is an individual who studied Mineral sciences in University majoring in Mining Engineering or basically a person who studied Mining Engineering in University.
Where do Mining Engineers work?
Mining Engineers can work for the government either under the Ministry of Mines or in government organizations such as ZCCM-IH. A Mining Engineer can also work for consultancy companies dealing in the Mining industry.
A Mining Engineer, as the name implies, can also work in Mineral resource companies, these can either be in small scale Mining resource companies, for example in Zambia we have kagem mine dealing in emeralds, Redpath which is a mineral resource company conducting mining works for major Mineral resource companies, N-frasys dealing in manganese Mining as well as Blue Oceans Metals and Minerals also dealing in manganese Mining. We also have large scale Mining companies such as Lumwana mine, Konkola copper mine, first quantum minerals, Mopani copper mine, Mimbula Minerals (New mine) to mention but a few. Major Mineral resource companies are usually concentrated on Copper ore Mining.
Cement manufacturing companies also mine limestone; road construction works where they have to make large excavations may require mining engineering works.
What tasks are involved in the work?
At a mine set-up, mining Engineers work as a unit in a different department, and they make all plans based on information obtained from geologists.
At a mine set-up, the mining engineering departments include the following sub department: Mine planning department, Geotechnical department, Drilling and blasting department, and operations department. It is the responsibility of each department to abide to the safety, health and environment regulations to ensure safety on site.
Mine engineers in the Mine planning department lay out Monthly plans on paper on how the mineral will be extracted, the approach to be implemented, as well as setting targets to be achieved within a given time period. These plans go through all other departments for approval. The plans are implemented by operations department with personnel working underground or in the open pit under the supervision of subordinates of the underground manager or site manager.
Mining Engineers in Geotechnical department mainly focus on the rock mechanics to do with the type of rock that is being dealt with at the mine. Their Job is to analyse the rock type and best approach to be taken when it comes to Mining in such a rock type to prevent the mine from collapsing which may injure people and bring the mining operation to a stop.
Mining Engineers in the Drilling and blasting department mainly focus on the approach to be taken when it comes to drilling and blasting as well as the type of drill and blast equipment to be used depending on information obtained from the geotechnical and Mining planning department concerning the type of rocks that need to be drilled and blasted.
In underground Mines, we also have a ventilation department under the mining engineering department, their main concern is to ensure that the mine is well ventilated, I.e. making sure fresh air is constantly supplied underground through the shaft or ventilation inlet as well as getting rid of toxic air through the ventilation outlets.
The main tasks in underground Mining are simply developing haulages(walkways) through drilling and blasting in order to get to the orebody, hauling of the blasted ore to the shaft and hoisting the ore to the surface for transportation and processing.
In the case of surface mining, where the overburden (dirt) and ore is weak, no drilling and blasting is required as ore can be mined using excavation machinery, but in places where it is difficult to mine due to strong ground, bench drilling and blasting is employed and ore is transported to the surface from the pit for crushing and processing. In some cases, crushing (reducing ore size) is done within the pit to cut on costs.
To carry out planning work of how ore will be dug out of a mine, planning engineers use 3D planning software for planning and monitoring. The same goes for geotechnical engineers who use computer software to determine if the rocks being mined can collapse or not. The drilling and blasting engineers also use computer software to determine how much explosives will be needed to break the rocks to required rock sizes so that the rocks can easily be loaded in a truck.
What is the work schedule of a Mining Engineer?
The work schedule of a Mining Engineer is usually in the space of 8 hour shifts be it day or night shifts, Monday to Friday, however it might be more or less depending on the company’s regulations. Some Mine engineers stay on site for 1 month to 2 months and only break for home for 1 to 2 weeks, while others who work on sites near their residential areas, go back home and report for work on a daily basis, some who work internationally work on a fly in, fly out basis and are given breaks according to company regulations.
What does the Job market look like?
A Mine Engineer can find a job in the Mining industry, Mining Consultancy companies, government organizations, Drilling companies as well as academia in Universities. The biggest employing sector is the mineral resource sector (Mining industry) especially those dealing in copper ore Mining in Zambia.
The Job market is to a large extent influenced by the prices of metals on the market, companies often downsize on employees when prices hit rock bottom and jobs are lost. When prices are stable or conducive, employment levels rise, that’s typical of the Mining industry in relation to the job market.
Salary ranges and what controls it?
Entry level salaries for graduates in small scale Mining firms range from 3,500zmw to 7000zmw while that of large scale Mining firms range from 9,000zmw to 15,000zmw, but with the employee gaining at least 3 to 4 years experience, salaries can go to the range of 25,000zmw to 30,000zmw.
What sort of career personality match is required?
Show passion and dedication towards work, for graduate engineers, they must be flexible and willing to learn. A Mining Engineer needs to be a critical thinker, must be open minded, must be a team player by contributing ideas and mostly learning from experienced professionals, must take interest in learning analytical skill as well as work related computer software, must be open to criticism and show emotional intelligence in order to build a strong foundation and cement the future of one’s career.
Where I can study Mining Engineering, for how long, to earn what qualification?
A Mining engineering degree can be obtained from the university of Zambia or the Copperbelt university in Zambia. University of Zambia under the school of mines offers BSc in Mineral Sciences with majors in Mining Engineering, metallurgy and geology. So in order to become a Mining Engineer one must major in Mining Engineering.
The Copperbelt university under the school of mines also offers a degree in Mining Engineering, the only slight difference with the University of Zambia degree is that, here, the students get to specialize in either rock mechanics or ventilation in their upper years at University.
Mining Engineering degrees run for five years.
What subjects will the program cover?
When an individual enrolls into university to study Mining Engineering, they will firstly learn A levels in first year, that is, Mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology.
In second year they begin to learn subjects specific to the engineering field these might include introduction to Mining, geology and courses under civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical Engineering, surveying as well as Engineering Mathematics. Courses dealing specifically in Mining Engineering are mostly taught in upper years (4th to 5th year) and these might include rock mechanics, ventilation, geotechnical engineering, mine management, investment analysis, S H.E(safety, health and environment), underground and surface mining, mine planning as well as operations research.
What mode of study are available?
Full- Time at both the University of Zambia and the Copperbelt university.
What are entry requirements?
This typically depends on the competitiveness of candidates wishing to pursue courses under natural sciences department, sometimes the entry points can be raised or reduced depending on the competitiveness of candidates. The acceptance points usually range from 6 to 12 points with Mathematics, sciences and English as priority subjects.
What other programs of study can make someone a Mining Engineer?
There is no alternative qualification apart from majoring in Mining Engineering at University.
What are the future advanced qualification available and why?
With a degree in Mining Engineering, you may pursue a master’s degree in Geotechnical engineering, Rock mechanics, Mine planning or Business administration. A master’s degree gives you an advantageous position when it comes to job seeking, it also shows dedication and diligence towards your career goals. You can as well become a lecturer at University with a master’s degree.