UQ to upskill miners across Latin America

The University of Queensland has received a $1 million funding package from the Australian Government Department of Education to design and deliver short courses for workers at mining projects in Chile and Argentina.

UQ’s Sustainable Minerals Institute has deep roots in the Latin American mining industry through its International Centre of Excellence (SMI-ICE-Chile) based in Santiago, Chile, which has 33 staff and strong relationships with local partners. 

Using the funding support for innovative international education projects, experts from SMI-ICE-Chile and UQ Skills will expand transnational education delivery by Australia in a key industry by developing locally relevant courses underpinned by Australia’s excellent Vocational Education Training (VET) standards.

UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry AC said the short courses in Chile and Argentina would be delivered to an initial 160 professionals ranging from front-line workers, supervisors and technical support staff all the way up to executive management.

The courses will also improve local capacity to deliver technical and vocational education and training.

“Training offered in Chile will be geared towards sustainability and autonomous operations,” Professor Terry said.

“This will include modules on decarbonisation, water resource management, tailings management, sustainability reporting, and creating social value from the industry.”

SMI-ICE-Chile executive director Dr Doug Aitken said the training offered in Argentina will focus on mine safety - equipping workers with knowledge and skills that help them keep themselves and their operations safe and healthy.

Dr Aitken said the training comes as the mining sector continues its broad shift towards more sustainable practices.

“These have been driven by market pressures, rising societal expectations, increasing risk exposure, and the tightening of regulatory standards,” Dr Aitken said.

“Queensland, Chile and Argentina are all resource rich regions playing a critical role in supplying the raw materials needed for the global energy transition.”

“To meet emerging challenges, it is essential that workers across Latin America have access to high-quality and practical training programs. These programs can support individuals to grow professionally, and they can help ensure the local workforce remains at the forefront of a fast-evolving industry.”

In Chile, UQ will work with SONAMI — the National Mining Society of Chile — and INACAP — the country's National Institute for Professional Training — to develop and deliver the new courses.

In Argentina, the training will be developed and delivered in partnership with Universidad Católica de Salta (UCASAL) and global mining company Rio Tinto.

UQ is consistently ranked among the top universities globally for mineral and mining engineering.