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A ROADMAP FOR MINERALS PROCESSING EDUCATION

laboratories and well trained professionals to equip and maintain them.
Some examples of this kind of laboratories are rock mechanics, metallurgy,
mineral concentration, structural geology, petrology, mineralogy, vein
microscopy, mine ventilation and mine services. To this we must add
fieldwork or visits to site, which require having permanent transport and
maintenance of the vehicles and equipment used in the field. All this in
addition to the requirements of the basic science and engineering courses
(physics, chemistry, computing, among others).

Chile concentrates between 20% Table 1 - Evolution of the sala-
and 30% of the world’s copper ries of mining engineers over
reserves. This is significant because the last years
starting in 2003 a growth began in
the demand for commodities by a Year Average Salary (USD)
growing China, and later India, that 2006 2819
led to a super cycle in the price of 2007 2687
copper, which rose from 1.0 USD/ 2008 3539
pound to more than 2.5 USD/ 2009 4220
pound over the last ten years. This 2010 3903
caused an increase in the number 2011 4299
of mining projects and turned 2012 4351
profitable several deposits that 2013 4473
in the past had been considered 2014 5053
non profitable. Consequently, 2015 5487
employment of mining engineers
reached its historical maximum, and they were considered highly desirable
professionals in the market, both by producing mining companies and
by companies providing supplies and services to the mining industry,
increasing the average salaries even more. Since 2007 mining engineers
became some of the best paid professionals in the country, surpassing the
average income of geologists, physicians and dentists. Using information
from different media, Table 1 shows the evolution of the salary of mining
engineers five years after graduation, which doubles from 2007 to
2015(Trabajando.com, 2015) (Universia, 2015) (Laborum, 2015) (Servicio
de Información de Educación Superior del Ministerio de Educación (SIES),
2006-2015).

Analysis of Labuor Sustainability for 101
Mining Engineers in Chile