The Minerals pathway
- Third year field trip to Navan Lead-Zinc Mine Ireland- part of the final year Ore Deposits Course
A degree in Geological Sciences equips you for a career exploring for and exploiting minerals. These minerals may be ores of metals or ‘industrial minerals’ such as sand, gravel, gypsum and coal. We have devised a pathway through our programme, and some new modules so that students interested in this area graduate with a best possible portfolio of modules.
Jobs in the minerals industry
Can I get a job in this area, and is there a career here?
There is currently a world shortage of geologists in the exploration industry, and the current demographic profile of senior geologists shows that there will opportunities to attain senior positions for those entering the industry in the near future (J. H. Thomson, President Teck Cominco 2007)
Where might that job be and what jobs do graduates do?
Most but not all opportunities are overseas. The most active areas worldwide are: Australia, Canada, South America, the Pacific Rim and China.
- An open cast diamond mine in Australia: the destination for one of our students on vacation work in 2008
The experience of working for these types of company is very different according to the size of your employer. Major companies (multi national mining houses such as Rio Tinto and Anglo American) usually employ graduates on a training programme which involves experience of several different mine types, (e.g. gold, copper, base metals). This programme is structured and provides an excellent grounding in the industry. Joining a junior company of a few exploration geologists might involve having much more responsibility at an earlier stage of your career, but the experience will be determined by the type of projects available.
- Exploring in underdeveloped parts of the world relies heavily on helicopters. This Is Joe O’Keefe, (2009) in the Yukon, Canada summer 2010- getting out of a helicopter to collect soil samples win terrain which is too steep even for helicopters to land.
- …and off-road vehicles
What is the pay like?
- Logging drill core in Australia- a common job for junior geologists that helps you get your eye in with identifying mineralization and associated lithologies
(As of December 2010)
Canada: (exchange rate about 0.62 £=1C$ Jan 2011)
A BSc graduate working for a mining/exploration company could reasonably expect to earn C$75-100,000 per year.
If you have a relevant MSc or PhD the starting range increases to C$90,000-$120,000.
Australia: (exchange rate about 0.6 £=1A$ Jan 2011)
This is the feedback (Jan 2011) from one of our recent graduates now working in Australia:
‘Starting salaries in the region of AUS$75-85,000 rising to AUS$100-120,000 after 4 years. In if you are on a Fly-in/Fly-out (FIFO) roster you should get a FIFO allowance which may be around 15%.
After 15 years you could be on anything! Huge money if you work hard and get to a high position or if you work in remote, developing countries’.
How do I know if I want to take the Minerals pathway?
- Students finding gold in Scotland as part of the Gold Mineralization optional module at level 1
It is important to realise that you do not have to commit irreversibly to the minerals Pathway at any stage, it is simply a guide to the suite of modules best suited to the industry. An introduction to the minerals pathway is provided by a first year optional module: ‘Gold Mineralization’ which includes a field trip to Scotland.
Students finding gold in Scotland as part of the Gold Mineralization optional module at level 1
Added Value
Contacts with Industry
Contacts with industry are vital to help students find work. At Leeds we continually aim to improve our industrial links through two routes:
1. The Leeds Student Chapter of the Society of Economic Geologists
We have a new vibrant student- lead society which organises meetings, guest speakers and trips. The purpose of the Chapter is to improve the employability of its members by providing a platform for contact with the industry. We have an ‘industrial advisor’ who is a professional exploration geologist, working for a junior company active in many parts of the world. In 2011/12 we have a programme of one- day field trip to sites of mineralization in the north of England and a longer trip to Scotland is planned from early summer. We have a programme of UK and international guest speakers from academia and industry . This January 2012 about a dozen students from Leeds will attend the Vancouver Exploration Roundup’ an industry–facing Conference which provides excellent opportunities both for the students to meet potential employers and to raise the profile of Leeds Graduates in general.
- SEG Student Chapter trip to the Cononish Gold Prospect Scotland summer 2010
- Dan Sharpe and Sam Plant (both year 2) exploring the Rackla Belt, Yukon whilst working for Radius gold, Summer 2011
2. Research contacts of academic staff.
Academic staff who have research interests in this field have established links to other Universities both in the UK and worldwide and Industry. In the past year students from Leeds have taken up full time post graduate study in Canada (UBC, Vancouver and Memorial University Newfoundland) and four undergraduate students gained summer work experience in Canada.