Covering the Waterfront

[This article orignially appeared in MiningVoice magazine and appears here courtesy of the National Mining Association.]

In today's ever-changing industry, experience, flexibility and familiarity with technology will ensure the best jobs for mining graduates.

By Joseph Lynn Tilton

Joseph Lynn Tilton, the son of a copper miner, spent his early years in various mining communities in Arizona. His work has appeared in 165 publications, including American Metal Market.

Technology, economy and ecology seem to have combined to make mining a highly specialized --and somewhat risky --career. Plastic has replaced copper in construction, precious metal prices are down and co-generation electric plants are including more recycled material as a fuel of choice. Technology makes it possible for prospective miners to do three times the work of those in the previous generation.

However, it is especially crucial to keep up with technology. Richard W. Judy, director of workforce development at the Hudson Institute in Indianapolis, Ind., says, "Today's technology has a half-life of perhaps six years. Continual education is really, really important."

Dr. Eileen Ashworth, professor of mining engineering for the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, agrees. She emphasizes, "Roundness of the student, not just a good Grade Point Average, is important. Summer mining experience also is a real plus. Many of our students get summer mining experience; for example, sophomores may be truck drivers. When they are juniors, they're often involved in engineering projects. The combination of school and field experience is particularly useful in a hands-on industry such as mining."

Bobby Jackson, vice president of human resources at the National Mining Association, comments, "For college grads I think today's mining job demands are no different than the rest of the business community. The need for education experience in information technology and computer-oriented classes is essential today. At the same time, for our industry, engineers have to have strong fundamentals in mining or metallurgical engineering as well as potential for strong supervisory or management skills."

Jackson continues, "On the non-technical side, I think we're finding it relatively easy to recruit for entry-level jobs such as laborers, truck drivers or in a general job that's more historically 'blue collar.' What we're seeing, though, is a lot of so-called blue collar jobs are becoming much more technical. It's becoming more challenging for the mining industry to recruit, educate and train more technical hourly workers, in tasks such as electronics maintenance, electrical installation, diesel mechanics, general mechanics, in part because of the incredibly competitive demand from electronic technology-related industries."

Incorporate Electronic Technology

As with others in the industry, Jackson sees the mining industry advancing and incorporating new technology that is influenced by electronic technology, computer-generated process control, record keeping and in-process monitoring of air and water as examples. "Technological demands are a challenge for the mining industry to recruit new and retain experienced employees. In many ways it will always be a challenge also because remote locations are typical of mining. A few young people like living in far-flung locations, yet others are attracted to urban centers."

The second challenge Jackson sees is to train and develop newcomers to help them stay up to speed with current technology and its mining applications. "With consolidation in the mining industry, some would say the field is shrinking, there are fewer opportunities. As a college recruiter for years, I've seen that when there's a glut of mining school graduates, graduates have a difficult time finding placement in industry. The law of supply and demand frequently takes care of surplus applicants; shrinking enrollment is natural."

Jackson admits to being an advocate for fewer schools and concentrating graduates in those few mining schools. "In the non-engineering employment arena there will always be a demand for technical people in roles outside the direct extraction process. For example, the mining industry has had an abundance of exploration people, but exploration has diminished dramatically on the domestic scene." Jackson also sees a diminished role for internal support services staff, principally because mining companies are out-sourcing those services.

"Conscientious recruiting programs find employees that will fit within their organization professionally, technically and culturally. For example, if the young recruit obviously is more research-oriented and would not be a fit for supervisory work, he or she should be encouraged to go for an advanced degree and look to research programs. It's important to understand both what a given job entails as well as the background of the individual being interviewed, to try to match styles.

"But at the same time, it's equally important to identify that person's growth potential. Are they going to be able to flourish in a changing organization? Mining organizations today are dramatically more dynamic than in years past, and adaptability is essential."

Lou Mineweaser, director of human resources for Cleveland-Cliffs Inc in Cleveland, Ohio, emphasizes, "While there is a downward trend in school enrollment, there certainly is not a downward trend in employment. We expect a growing need for not only engineers but also hourly operating jobs such as shovel operators, haul truck drivers, plant operators and so forth."

He notes that a third of the salaried workforce becomes eligible for retirement during the next five years. "This includes all salaried jobs, from clerical to engineering to mine management. It's the same on the hourly side. Approximately one-third of our hourly employees will have 30 years in and be eligible for retirement. This means that even though we're under strong competitive pressure from South America, Russia, Korea, etc., we still will need replacements. We're looking all over, from employee referrals to Internet recruiting and advertising."

A transfer himself from the paper industry, Mineweaser comments, "My job is not all that different. Employee needs are employee needs. There are a lot of support jobs. Once you learn the intricacies and basics of a particular company, the problems you deal with and their solutions are similar."

Hire for the Long Term

The strategy for Cleveland-Cliffs is to hire for the long term. "What attracts candidates is who they are going to be working with and what kind of job they will be doing. When they look at a company they assume the benefits package is competitive. If it's not you won't hear from them again."

On the international scene, Mineweaser sees even more opportunity. "As the Asian and South American economies pick up, the demand for metals will pick up. We're building a processing plant in Trinidad and Tobago that will give us a new product line of ferrous metallics in the form of hot briquetted, which is used in mini-mill electric furnaces to make steel. Mini-mills are getting a bigger share of the iron ore market, so that gives us a broader customer base."

Mineweaser notes his company has nearly 6,000 employees. Current operations of this 152-year-old company include three mines in northern Minnesota, two in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, one in Labrador and a processing plant in Quebec. Part of the strategy to ensure employee retention has been to recruit those native to the region. "We interviewed an engineer in Colorado, for example, who was from northern Minnesota. We hired him into our company to move back home. It's working out very well." He also sees mining salaries generally increasing. "One concern, though, is rising health care costs."

While some industry experts are positive about the future of mining, others tend to be more cautious. "If you can tell me what the price of metals will be I can make a better prediction," reports Dick Swainbank, mining and minerals development specialist for Alaska's Division of Trade & Development. Alaska's mining industry employed 3,426 people in 1992. Employment peaked at 3,862 in 1997, after hitting a low of 3,083 in 1994, but was down to 3,476 in 1998, up 50 from 1992.

Swainbank adds, "Long term, Alaska's future looks bright. We have some of the largest base metal deposits in the world, particularly in zinc. They're finding more uses for zinc, such as making house plating and protective coatings, so the demand for zinc could very well increase quite a lot. Building trades are starting to take a liking to it."

Employment Trend 'Slightly Upward'

Looking at other base metals, Swainbank continues, "What goes around comes around. Mining is a cyclical trade, and universities ought to stress flexibility if their graduates are going to be fully employed. Mining engineering grads should be able to deal with metals, coal and industrial materials. Grads should be able to deal with any activity that involves drilling or moving earth."

That view is shared by Richard W. Judy, director for work force development at Hudson Institute in Indianapolis, Ind. "Mining engineers today need different skills at different ages of life," he says. Judy, co-author with Carol D'Amico of Work Force 2020, points out, "The mining engineer of the future can do his job better with a solid background, especially in computer technology. Then, as his career progresses, teamwork skills play a larger role. Administration skills become more important as the mining engineer progresses along the career path."

"The mining engineer of today is doing a broader range of duties than when I was a mining engineer," explains Dr. Paul Chugh, chairman of the Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering Department, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. "Industrial minerals is where we are placing almost all of our students. Some 80 percent are going to limestone and industrial minerals, while 20 percent are going into coal."

Chugh adds, "The demand for mining engineers is increasing in our area. They're paying beginners more, too. A mining engineer fresh out of school is getting $40,000 to $40,500. Mining/electrical engineers graduates have been placed for as much as $44,000 or $45,000. We are producing double-digit graduates. Mining engineers of today have to do design, operations [and] environmental work, and quality assurance is becoming a fairly substantial part of the whole thing."

"Our students with good grade point averages are getting domestic first jobs in the low $40,000s, while those with lower grades get in the high $30,000s." She has studied enrollment in mining programs for more than 10 years.

Ashworth points out that most graduating students receive two or three job offers. A large share of the school's May 1999 graduates had job offers before Christmas. But for those who see mining as a world employment market, employment opportunities are even greater. "Students willing to go anywhere, learn another language, can command higher salaries. One had an overseas offer at $45,000."

Chugh sees the employment trend as slightly upward. "For example, in 1997-98 we had a total enrollment of 843, up from 833 the previous year. The support area is growing because the cost of a piece of continuous mining equipment is getting close to $1 million, so companies want to make sure the machine works right, and the ergonomics have to be looked at carefully. Productivity and cost are the real issues."

As with the others, he points out mines compete in a world market. "The cost of health and safety is pretty high, so companies are trying to make sure equipment not only produces economically, but that it's also safe. We are seeing significant interest by companies such as Caterpillar and Joy Manufacturing who are looking for people with a good education background who also understand mining. We really need to have graduates with good mechanical skills as well as good mining skills." He reports the coal industry continues to increase in productivity, but the cost of production will have to be reduced further. "So I would say, over the next decade we will have to come up with the next generation of mining technology that will make operations even more productive, with improved safety and fewer maintenance requirements.

"Improved processing techniques will ensure quality. We do need some effort in ore and mineral characterization so that when we get into the deposits there are no surprises. The capital requirements for opening up new mines is becoming very high. We need to be able to characterize deposits, to better know the quality of minerals before we start moving earth."

More than Technical Skills Needed

Looking to the future, Ashworth added, "Copper is so low; gold is so low. Copper mines are closing. Metal prices make a difference. The problem with gold is it used to be held in reserve to support currencies. Now, with the breakup of the USSR, Russia sold off a lot of its gold, and with the European common market getting together with a single currency, the demand for gold as a reserve has diminished considerably. Then, with plastic replacing copper tubing and fiber optics replacing cable, the demand continues low."

Students are finding work in sand and gravel and quarry operations because those enterprises have to follow many of the same regulations. At the same time, current diminished enrollment of sophomores and juniors in mining means possible engineer shortages in just a couple of years. "Now is the time to transfer in from similar fields such as civil engineering."

"The biggest challenge evolving in the last four-five years is the mining engineer today and in the future will need skills on beyond technical skills," maintains Ron Brummett, director of the career center for Colorado School of Mines. "These skills include flexibility and versatility. The mining industry really needs engineers able to move from department to department, from maintenance to productions to sales to exploration.

"The other need is management skills for dealing with both employees and with customers. The specialist credentials get today's mining engineer through the door, but once there, the engineer has to become a generalist to stay there."

So it is, that despite plastic, a highly competitive world market and recycled materials, there will always be room for mining engineers, especially those willing to go wherever they're needed and willing to keep up with industry changes.