Best Places for a Mining Education in Canada

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mining education in canadaBest Places for a Mining Education in Canada

In the early days of the mining industry, workers got valuable, on the job training from operators already well versed in the career and industry. As an apprentice, you could learn skills across many different sectors of a mining operation. Today, advances in technology have created even more opportunities to work in the mining industry beyond manual labor.

There is also a growing need for management positions to be filled at operations all around the world. If you’re looking into a career in mining, then you’ll first want to build a solid educational foundation. Here in Canada there are 10 universities and 25 community colleges that provide courses covering all aspects of the mining industry.

If you’re not sure which specific field you want to go into, it might be helpful to start at the community college level. That way you can sample many courses to see what would be the perfect fit for your mining career. The following are lists of programs and institutions you may want to consider if you’re interested in furthering a mining education.

Mining and Mineral Engineering

As a mining engineer, you’ll be on the frontline of an operation as you focus on the design and actual construction of a mine. You’ll also be involved in the creation of the surrounding support facilities that will handle the extraction processing. These campuses offer degree programs in this field:

Metallurgical Engineering

A metallurgical engineer is focused on what happens after the metals and ores are extracted from the mine. You’ll be working on making improvements in the processing machinery and developing new ways to refine mineral commodities. Check out these campuses for a degree in this area:

Geological Engineering

If you like to travel, this is the ideal job. As a geological engineer, you’ll be researching areas that hold the potential for new mine operations. This could mean surveying in some very remote locations. It can also mean some very thrilling adventures. Here are the universities that offer this program:

Mining Operations

This is where you’ll have the ability to develop skills for the actual labor operations of a mine. You’ll get a crash course in equipment operation and the various types of jobs, from blasters to diamond drillers to prospectors. This is also a program that will put you in the field for an apprenticeship program. In other words, you’ll be learning skills and getting paid at the same time. Check out these training facilities: