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MINERALS INDUSTRY EDUCATION AND TRAINING II

Appendix 2: Mineral processing education – the
current context

The challenges

Many of the submissions to this study were prefaced by statements about
context. Minerals industry education is provided against the backdrop of
economic, social and technological issues, and these all have an influence
on outcomes.

There is also a concern about declining skills in areas where undergraduate
education is incomplete and there is poor access to continuing professional
development, resulting in what one survey respondent described as “an
endless cycle of knowledge loss and rediscovery characterised by repeats
of past mistakes and a rehash of old research as new”.

The conflicting needs of stakeholders
The groups defined as “Academia” and “Industry” have different goals
and objectives, and a classic conflict often arises regarding curriculum.
Universities teach fundamental mathematics, science and engineering that
may not have any direct bearing on the job requirements for minerals
processing, leading to occasional criticism from industry that graduates
are not spending enough time developing practical skills that would make
them more job-ready. Universities maintain that it will never be possible
to deliver job-ready graduates because of the diversity of industry roles
and constantly changing technology and work practices. It is important for
universities to maintain their focus on delivering solid fundamentals that
enable graduates to manage their own technical skill development.

The IMPC Commission on Education acknowledges that this roadmap will
not put an end to this conflict, that the discussion is healthy, and that the
right balance will be achieved when there is good communication between
all parties.

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