Mining engineer shortage looms Education Foundation warning

With a shortage of highly trained mining and metallurgical engineers once again looming in this country, the Canadian Mineral Industry Education Foundation is stepping up its efforts to attract students — both undergraduate and graduates — into these fields.

Formed in 1964 and now supported by some 35 senior mining companies, this foundation has helped finance 295 graduates in mining, mineral processing, mechanical and electrical engineering. And now it is focusing on rock mechanics, computerization and robatics.

Indications of forthcoming shortages to meet the industry’s building demands is a reduction in scholarship applications from most Canadian universities, ortages to meet the industry’s building demands is a reduction in scholarship applications from most Canadian universities, Alan E. Gallie, outgoing chairman of the cmief, warned the 18th annual meeting of its members held at the Toronto Engineers’ Club. Enrollment itself in the various mining courses is down.

“The mining industry has turned around. There are now more jobs than applicants,” Prof P. H. Calder who heads the Department of Mining Engineering at Queen’s University told the gathering. After going through a very difficult period, that department was described as “healthy, strong and stabilized,” with graduating classes of 20 to 25 students. The accent now is on rock burst control.

Indicative of the role that the mines themselves are playing in providing practical training for undergraduates, the Kerr Addison Mines – Minnova Inc. team is taking on 50 undergraduate students this season, John K. Carrington, vice-president operations for those closely associated firms, reported.

From the 68 applications for scholarships received by the foundation during the past academic year, 23 candidates were accepted from an $85,000 budget.

The foundation’s post-graduate program, which has been drawing increasing interest in recent years, still needs more applicants, the meeting was told.

Following the annual meeting, T. F. Pugsley of Falconbridge was appointed chairman of the 12-man cmief board, succeeding Mr Gallie who will remain a director. Klaus Konigsmann of Noranda becomes vice-chairman.