Surge in Mining Leads to New College Mining Programs

Prompted by rapid growth in the mining sector, the University of Minnesota-Duluth (UMD) announced that it is creating a new program to prepare students for well-paying and diverse jobs in mining. Housed at the Mineral Resources Center, the new program will provide students with a holistic understanding of the industry and mining processes.

“UMD geology professor Jim Miller said at a conference Tuesday that the goal of the Mineral Resources Center is to graduate people with a full understanding of the mining cycle, even if they specialize in certain areas. Students will be trained in exploration, processing, reclamation and other core mining disciplines.”

And prospects for those entering the field today are bright. Technological and advanced practices help to make mining jobs continually safer for workers, and mining is one of a handful of sectors that creates jobs at a fairly consistent rate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the mining industry is on track to be one of the U.S. economy’s strongest job creators through 2022. While the mining industry already supports 1.1 million U.S. jobs, the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration predicts that the mining industry will add between 11,000 and 13,000 jobs per year over the next 20 years.

As our industry continues to grow, there is a high demand for well-paying mining jobs that have an average salary of more than $85,000 and often climb into the six figures for experienced workers. By creating college programs specific to the mining industry, we can fill these high-paying jobs and continue working towards economic recovery.

Continue reading about UMD’s Mineral Resources Center here.