Foundations of Modern Mining

What is the role of mining in a sustainable world? What challenges lie ahead, and how is the mining industry responding to meet our demand for minerals as well as our expectations of a sustainable future?

This course explores the risks, challenges and opportunities facing the mining industry in the 21st century. You will learn some of the history of the role of minerals in society, and the tension between increasing demand for minerals and a continually evolving global context. This is driving the industry to look beyond the technical challenges of extracting ore, and to consider its broader role in contributing to sustainable development.

We follow the sustainability journey of the mining industry, from an historical perspective to the emergence of the Global Mining Initiative, and discuss the roles and responses of industry, government and civil society. The course also highlights the sustainable development aspects of mineral production in both the day to day operation of a mine, as well as more complex longer-term challenges. We explore the future demand for minerals, and the role of policy and governance on the future direction of the mining industry including the impacts of responsible investors and supply chains.

You will learn about scenario planning and how to use this approach as a strategic tool to consider a range of possible futures for the minerals sector, against the backdrop of uncertain future environments.

This interactive course incorporates videos, expert insights, simulations, discussions and scenarios to deepen your current understanding of the sector, and to encourage you to develop you own ideas about possible future directions.

The industrial advancement of mankind is inextricably linked with natural resources. We cannot underestimate our collective reliance on minerals and mineral products, not only for industrial and commercial progress, but also in the health and agriculture industries. Mined ore, as well as the commensurate beneficiation, processing and refining of the product, provides the industrial sector with the required material to further shape and fabricate this material into the end product to be used for the benefit of mankind.

In this course we will look at how minerals extraction or production only occurs after discovery, exploration, research, analysis and planning have all been completed. Planning requires a firm knowledge of a commodity’s future market in terms of supply and demand, its value or forecast price, the capital outlay (development costs) and the costs to produce it and, critically, how the development of that deposit will be funded. This funding may take the form of equity, debt or potentially derivative or convertible instruments or through other innovative funding mechanisms such as metal streaming, farm-ins and participation funding (joint ventures).

We will also look at the number of people either directly or indirectly linked to the mining business, with the multitude of stakeholders ranging from employees, service providers, financiers and investors through to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and activists.

Throughout the course we reference the value-chain which represents the stages and processes that a minerals project will go through to produce mineral products. Each stage provides a value-add to the previous stage and there are opportunities to invest at each of the major stages.

This interactive course incorporates videos, expert insights, simulations and discussions to deepen your current understanding of the minerals and mining sector.

In this course we will investigate different planning levels, mining methods, downstream beneficiation activities and ancillary services. There will be an emphasis on the mine life-cycle that highlights the opportunities for integration along the value chain.

Through this course you will gain an understanding of the key unit procedures involved in different mining operations as you become familiar with different methods of exploiting an orebody, and the various intermediate products that are sold at different stages along the value chain. We will use a systems perspective that highlights the opportunities for integration along the value chain to meet multi-faceted objectives including profitability, efficiency, safety and sustainability. This will allow for the exploration of how the application of orebody knowledge across the mining life-cycle can have significant impacts on mining and processing operations.

You will be introduced to the relevant processing stages that follow the discovery and mining of mineral deposits, focusing on the various unit operations in the treatment of an orebody from identification through to a marketable mineral product.

This interactive course incorporates videos, expert insights, case studies and discussions to deepen your current understanding of the technical operations of a mining business.

The new generation of leaders in the mining industry will operate in a period of rapid technological and organisational change. You will need to adapt to new ways of working, contributing to organisational culture in a way that supports the business, with a focus on staff and other stakeholders. You may have seen your own managers do this well, or have noticed when they have not, and you may have wondered how to emulate or avoid certain approaches with your own teams.

This course introduces you to the knowledge and skills that will help you take the first self-reflective steps of moving beyond managing, and towards being an effective leader, including an understanding of the diverse work environment in which you operate. As a learner on Leadership and Diversity in Mining, you will explore a range of leadership concepts. You will learn how to apply these within your organisation, taking active consideration of the challenges and opportunities of a diverse, changing workforce.

Leadership and Diversity in Mining is one of six courses in the Foundations of Modern Mining Professional Certificate, an edX qualification that draws on the expertise of academics from Curtin University and the University of Queensland, also providing learners front-seat access to industry leaders and innovators. You will hear from a wide range of practitioners who will show you how effective leadership and diversity strategies draw on a deep-level understanding of the organisation and industry, the wider business and political context, and which rely heavily on leaders and teams who have self-insight and reflective abilities.

Health, Safety and Wellness in Mining incorporates videos, expert insights, simulations, discussions and scenarios to deepen your current understanding of health, safety and wellness challenges, contexts and processes within the sector. The course covers topics such as legislation and governance, organisational safety culture, risk management, and the management of hazards, human factors, industry health issues, and community health impact.

This is one of six courses in the Foundations of Modern Mining Professional Certificate, an edX qualification that draws on the expertise of academics from Curtin University and the University of Queensland, also providing learners front-seat access to industry leaders and innovators.