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MINERALS INDUSTRY EDUCATION AND TRAINING II

Key Words

Mining engineering, employability, education, Chile.
Introduction

Talking about mining engineers in Chile may refer to various careers such
as Civil Engineering in Mines (6 years), Mining Engineering (5 years), and
Mining Technician (Ingeniero de Ejecución) (4 years) but graduates will
eventually get similar jobs and/or perform the same tasks. Therefore, in
order to simplify the development of the paper we will talk about “mining
engineering” without making further distinctions.

The objective of the present paper is to carry out an academic exercise to
show the horizon that is faced by mining engineering graduates in Chile
in terms of employment, based on recent events and on the projections
made under the explicit assumptions discussed in the text.

Traditional Training and the New Academic Offer

Until the first years of this century, the number of mining engineers
graduating fromuniversities seemed to be sufficient to satisfy the country’s
demand. This demand had been satisfied over the last 40 years by five state
universities, namely the Universidad de Chile, Universidad de Santiago de
Chile, Universidad de Atacama, Universidad de La Serena and Universidad
de Antofagasta (the last four were part of the former Universidad Técnica
del Estado until 1981, UTE), with a low degree granting rate. This happened
mainly because it is a profession that, although well paid, often involves
sacrifices that other careers do not require, such as distant workplaces,
absence from home several days per week, physical condition adequate
for field work, enduring sometimes complicated environmental conditions
(extreme cold or heat, dryness, darkness, exposure to the sun, excessive
dust, toxic gases), long travelling time, among others. Historically, because
of the aforementioned issues, the students’ preference for this career had
not been high, often being left at the end of their application preferences.
Furthermore, from the standpoint of the cost to the institution, mining
engineering is an expensive career due to the need to have adequate

Mineral Processing Education
100 Section 3
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